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New Delhi: The Air Quality Index (AQI) slipped to the ‘very severe’ category in several parts of the national capital, as people woke up to a thick layer of smog on Thursday morning.The city is grappling with worsening air quality amidst the onset of winter. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality in Vivek Vihar and Anand Vihar touched the ‘severe’ category, with AQI hitting 415 and 408, respectively. Other areas that stood in the 'severe' category included Akshardham (408), Bawana (411), Wazirpur (419) and Sonia Vihar (406). Meanwhile, several areas were in the ‘very poor’ category with AQI crossing the 300 mark.Along with the worsened air quality, the city also faced reduced visibility due to the thick layer of smog engulfing the city, as the PM2.5 level stood at 184.4 and the PM10 level hit 301.9. As per the CPCB, both these levels are 'hazardous'.This comes just two days after the Delhi government's cloud-seeding experiment to stimulate rainfall was deemed “not entirely successful” due to insufficient atmospheric moisture.As per the CPCB, 0 to 50 AQI is ‘good’, 50 to 100 is ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 is ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 is ‘poor’, 301 to 400 is ‘very poor’ and 401 to 500 is 'severe’.Former Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Dr. Randeep Guleria recently cautioned the public about the rising health risk due to the increasing levels of air pollution. He said, “The current high levels of air pollution, indicated by poor AQI, are leading to acute health effects, particularly among individuals with underlying heart or lung conditions, the elderly, and young children." He also noted that even healthy individuals are reporting symptoms such as nasal stuffiness, throat pain, chest tightness, and coughing. He stated that the use of crackers has exacerbated air pollution. Also Read- Why Delhi’s Cloud Seeding Experiment To Induce Artificial Rain Failed(With inputs from ANI)
