'Very poor' air continues to trouble Delhi residents

Delhi residents did not get any respite from air quality even on Monday as the air quality of the national capital in the early hours was again in the "very poor" category. 

People of Delhi complained of difficulty in breathing as they went out for exercising on Monday amid the haze.  

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"The pollution is becoming hazardous," said Mukul Diwan, a local, as quoted by news agency Reuters. 

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Delhi's air quality index (AQI) was 343 at 10 am on Monday, which comes under the category of "very poor". 

SAFAR, the Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality monitor, said the direction and speed of the wind are favourable for the transport of the pollutants from farm fires in Haryana, Punjab, and other regions adjacent to Delhi.

For the last few years with the arrival of winter, Delhi and other northern Indian regions witness a sharp drop in air quality majorly due to stubble burning, which is done to do away farm residues. 

Also, the cold weather let the pollutants hang in the air due to which air pollution rises. 

Delhi is already battling a coronavirus crisis and the pollution can worsen the situation as the deadly virus confronts the respiratory system. 

A few weeks ago, a report by a central government institute said that Delhi could see 15,000 Covid-19 cases per day in the upcoming winter season.