Good improvement in Delhi’s air quality: Government data

New Delhi, April 18 (IANS) Delhi's air quality showed good improvement on Monday with a drop in both particulate and gaseous pollutants, as the odd-even scheme continued for the fourth day in the national capital, government data showed.

A report by The Energy and Resources Institute said the pollutant concentration showed a dip in the national capital over the weekend.

The concentration of particulate matters (PM), nitrogen dioxide and ozone - rising till Friday - not only dropped but also fell in the moderate and safe zone.

Following this trend, the concentration of NO2 at Anand Vihar, where it was the highest, was recorded moderate around 80 units on Sunday and became normal for the first time in the week.

The PM2.5 (particles with diameter less than 2.5 micrometre) in the same area also dropped from 226 units on Friday to 127 units by Monday.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research, Ministry of Earth Science, the overall PM10 (particles with diameter less than 10mm) was 202.4 units while the PM2.5 stood at 75.4 units.

The units of PM and NO2 is microgram per cubic meters.

The Ozone (O3), often called 'smog', also fell in the safe zone, that is, 50 parts per billion.

Particulate Matters are responsible for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, while nitrogen dioxide causes lung diseases, lung tissue damage and reduction of lung function.

Ozone at the ground level is harmful as it attacks lung tissues through chemical reaction and even the eyes. However, in the upper atmosphere it shields from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.