Clear, blue skies Delhi, air quality improves further
New Delhi (PTI): Delhiites woke up to clear, blue skies and abundant sunshine on Saturday, marking a welcome relief from the suffocating haze that persisted for around two weeks.
At 7 am, the capital's air quality index (AQI) stood at 219, which is a marked improvement compared to Thursday's 24-hour average AQI of 437.
The notable improvement is attributable to intermittent rain over the last 30-32 hours and wind speed favourable for the dispersion of pollutants. The city experienced "very poor" to "severe" air quality for two weeks starting October 28.
Neighboring Gurugram (181), Ghaziabad (157), Greater Noida (131), Noida (148) and Faridabad (174) also recorded a significant improvement in air quality.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", 401 and 450 "severe" and above 450 "severe plus".
The IMD had earlier predicted a marginal improvement in the air quality just ahead of Diwali, owing to favourable meteorological conditions, including light rain, under the influence of a western disturbance.
The western disturbance led to rain over most parts of northwest India, including Punjab and Haryana, effectively reducing the contribution of smoke from stubble burning to Delhi's air pollution.
Once the western disturbance passes, the wind speed will increase to around 15 kilometres per hour on November 11 (Saturday) which will help disperse pollutants ahead of Diwali (November 12), an IMD official said earlier.
Last year, a decrease in stubble-burning incidents, delayed spells of rain, favourable meteorological conditions, and an early Diwali prevented the national capital from turning into a gas chamber following the festival of lights.
According to data from the Decision Support System, a numerical model-based framework capable of identifying the sources of particulate matter pollution in Delhi, stubble burning in the neighbouring states, particularly Punjab and Haryana, accounted for 38 per cent of the air pollution in the city on Wednesday. It was 33 per cent on Thursday and 17 per cent on Friday.
VIDEO | Air quality in Delhi-NCR improves further. Visuals from ITO.#DelhiAirQuality pic.twitter.com/LJdzYoMMFn
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 11, 2023
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KSRTC to run 1000 special services to clear Christmas rush
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation will operate 1000 additional special services in view of the Christmas festival.
In addition to the existing schedule, the special services will run on 19.12.2025, 20.12.2025 and 24.12.2025. Further, special buses will be operated from various places of intra & Interstate places to Bengaluru on 26.12.2025 & 28.12.2025.
Special buses will be exclusively operated from Bengaluru Kempegowda Bus Station to Dharmastala, Kukkesubramanya, Shivamogga, Hassan, Mangaluru, Kundapura, Shringeri, Horanadu, Davangere, Hubbali, Dharwad, Belagavi, Vijayapura, Gokarna, Sirsi, Karwar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Ballari, Koppala, Yadgir, Bidar, Tirupathi, Vijayawada, Hyderabad and other places.
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Special buses from Mysuru Road Bus Station will be exclusively operated towards Mysuru, Hunsur, Piriyapatna, Virajpet, Kushalanagar, Madikeri.
The corporation has also announced a discount of 5 per cent on the fare if four or more passengers book tickets under a single reservation. A discount of 10 per cent will be extended on return journey tickets if onward and return tickets are booked simultaneously.
In addition to the above, special buses will be operated from all Taluk/District Bus Stands in the jurisdiction of KSRTC based on the traffic needs.
