Air quality worsens in Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi's air quality worsened on Sunday as weak winds trapped pollutants, raising the overall AQI to 366 in the "very poor" category with three monitoring stations recording readings above 400 in the "severe" category, Centre Pollution Control Board data showed.
The PM2.5 concentration stood at 189.6 micrograms per cubic metre and PM10 at 316. PM2.5 refers to fine inhalable particles with diameters that are 2.5 micrometres or smaller, while PM10 includes slightly larger particles up to 10 micrometres in diameter, as per CPCB.
At such levels, these pollutants can cause breathing discomfort, especially among people with lung or heart diseases, children and the elderly.
The overall AQI rose sharply from 303 recorded a day earlier, CPCB data showed.
Neighbouring cities in the National Capital Region (NCR) also reported "very poor" air quality -- Ghaziabad (351), Gurugram (357), Noida (348) and Greater Noida (340). Faridabad, however, recorded a "poor" AQI of 215.
According to the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi, the wind speed dropped below 8 kmph from the northwest direction during the evening and night hours, reducing the dispersion of pollutants.
It added that a ventilation index lower than 6,000 m ²/s and wind speeds less than 10 kmph are unfavourable for pollutant dispersal.
The air quality is likely to remain in the "very poor" category till November 4, the AQEWS said.
Three monitoring stations in the city recorded "severe" air quality with readings above 400, with Wazirpur reporting the highest level at 413.
Another 28 stations registered "very poor" air quality with readings above 300, as per CPCB's Sameer app.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51-100 "satisfactory", 101-200 "moderate", 201-300 "poor", 301-400 "very poor" and 401-500 "severe", according to CPCB standards.
The maximum temperature was recorded at 30.7 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees below the seasonal average, while the minimum settled at 16.8 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The humidity stood at 75 per cent at 5.30 PM.
The weather office has forecast shallow fog on Monday, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 30 and 15 degrees Celsius, respectively.
A ban on the entry of commercial goods vehicles not registered here and not compliant with BS-III or lower emission standards came into force in the national capital on November 1.
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Goa nightclub fire: Owners Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra fled to Phuket after tragedy, say police
Panaji (PTI): Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, the main accused and owners of the Goa nightclub where a massive blaze claimed 25 lives, fled to Phuket hours after the tragedy, Goa Police said on Monday.
"Goa Police have taken further steps to coordinate with the Interpol Division of the CBI to apprehend both Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra at the earliest," a senior police officer said.
A massive fire at the nightclub, some 25 kilometres away from Panaji, on late Saturday night killed 25 persons. The deceased comprised 20 employees of the nightclub and five tourists, including four from Delhi. Five injured people were undergoing treatment at the government-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
After registering an FIR against them, a Look Out Circular was issued against them by December 7 by the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) at the request of the Goa Police.
The Bureau of Immigration at Mumbai was contacted, and it was found that both the accused had taken the 6E 1073 flight to Phuket at 5.30 am on December 7, immediately after the fire incident, which occurred around midnight, the officer said.
READ ALSO: Goa nightclub fire: Owner Saurabh Luthra expresses grief, assures management support
He said the Goa Police had immediately dispatched a team to Delhi to conduct raids on the addresses of the accused Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra.
"Since they were not available, a notice under the appropriate sections of law was pasted on the gate of their house. This shows their intent to avoid the police investigation", he said.
Goa Police have obtained transit remand of Bharat Kohli, an employee of the club, and are bringing him to Goa.
He also said that the postmortem on all 25 deceased has been completed and bodies handed over to their families.
