To deal with the bad air quality in the national capital, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked municipal corporations in Delhi to sprinkle water before sweeping the roads.
The order by NGT is for the municipal corporations in Delhi NCR region where air quality levels are normally non-compliant. In addition to Delhi, NGT has also directed local bodies in all other cities with the air quality ‘poor’ and above.
Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality remained "very poor" on Friday and no significant change is predicted soon.
The city's air quality index (AQI) was 364 at 9 am. The 24-hour average AQI was 341 on Thursday, 373 on Wednesday, 367 on Tuesday, 318 on Monday and 268 on Sunday.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".
The predominant wind direction will be easterly and the maximum wind speed 10 kmph on Friday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The minimum temperature was 8 degrees Celsius on Friday and the maximum is expected to settle around 27 degrees Celsius, the weather department said.
The minimum temperature this season has remained 2-3 degree Celsius below normal in the absence of a cloud cover on most days, according to IMD officials.
Calm winds and low temperatures trap pollutants close to the ground, while favourable wind speed helps in their dispersion. The central government's Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi said air quality is likely to remain in the "very poor" category till Saturday.
There is a possibility of the air quality reaching the "severe" category between December 4 and December 7, it had said earlier.
The city's ventilation index -- a product of mixing depth and average wind speed - is likely to be 1,000 m2/s on Friday.
Mixing depth is the vertical height in which pollutants are suspended in the air. It reduces on cold days with calm wind speed.
A ventilation index lower than 6,000 sqm/second, with the average wind speed less than 10 kmph, is unfavourable for dispersal of pollutants.
(With inputs from PTI)
