New Delhi: As the country stepped into the fourth phase of the lockdown, the national capital, which for two months saw azure blue skies and breathable air, saw a sudden spike in air pollution on Monday.
The level of Particulate Matter (PM) with diameters of 2.5 and 10 microns, which are too small to be filtered out of the body, stood at 83 and 183 micrograms per cubic metre, respectively.
SAFAR categorises air quality in the 0-50 range as good, 51-100 as satisfactory, 101-200 as moderate, 201-300 as poor, 301-400 as very poor and above 400 as severe.
Data by the Central Pollution Control Board showed that overall air quality near Punjabi Bagh stood at 298 micrograms per cubic me t re, followed by Delhi Technological University, Baw ana and Mundka. Of the 36 stations, AQI in 16 stations, was above 200 micrograms per cubic metre till 4 pm on Monday.
