Think before you breathe Delhi's air today

This comes as a nightmare for the national capital which is already battling the hazardous haze caused by the burning of paddy by the farmers in its adjacent states.

The high level of pollution being witnessed in the national capital will be at its peak today, as per the forecast by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research or SAFAR.

Also read-Breathless in Delhi? Blame it on Punjab burning its paddy stubble

According to Gurfan Beig, Chief Project Scientist of SAFAR, PM2.5 level is expected to reach 252 and PM 10 unit at 413 mark today, which has been classified as "severe". This is much more than the safe limits of 60 mcgm/cubic meter for PM 2.5 and 100 for PM 10.

(PM means Particulate matter which is the sum of all solid and liquid particles suspended in air, many of which are hazardous.)

Also read: National Green Tribunal asks northern states to take steps to check crop burning

The PM 2.5 and PM 10 level recorded by SAFAR was 225 and 382 respectively today.

However, SAFAR, an arm the of Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology or IITM, noted there will be some relief thereafter and the pollution level will see a marginal decline till November 7.

For the past few days, the national capital could be seen engulfed in a thick haze with extremely high level of suspended particulate matters keeping the air quality "poor".

Incidentally, the first major rise in pollution level was witnessed on October 31.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government on Wednesday sought the Centre's intervention in directing the Punjab and Haryana governments to check crop burning in their respective states, one of the major factors leading to smog in the capital.

Environment Minister Imran Hussain also held a meeting with MCD, NDMC, Delhi Cantonment Board, SDMs and tehsildars to discuss the issue of paddy stubble burning and its detrimental effects on the air quality of the capital.

-PTI