Delhi air pollution: Know govt's emergency plan to avoid smog filled winter

Last winter, the Delhi-NCR suffered one of the worst bouts of pollution. The entire region was in the grip of haze and smog. Now, the dreadful pollution is back to the national capital and its nearby states. Meanwhile, recent satellite images from the NASA showed that farmers in Punjab and Haryana have started burning crop residue earlier this month.

On Sunday, the air quality in Delhi remained poor, as the overall air quality index (AQI) recorded at 10 am Sunday stood at 208 which falls in the poor category, according to Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

The PM10 level (presence of particles with diameter less than 10 micrometres) in Delhi stood at 183 and the PM2.5 level was recorded at 93, according to the data.

Authorities have predicted further deterioration of air quality in the coming days.

An emergency action plan has been implemented from Monday to combat air pollution that has begun to show a trend towards poor category.

Monsoon likely to cover entire India in next 2-3 days, says IMD

The south-west monsoon, which reached Delhi on Thursday and stretched into Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir, is expected to cover the country in the next two-three days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its daily update on June 28.

The monsoon normally covers the country by July 15, but this time it is expected to do so about 14 days before the anticipated date.

“The south-west monsoon has further advanced into some more parts of the Gujarat region, most parts of east Rajasthan, some parts of West Rajasthan, entire Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, remaining parts of west Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab," the IMD said.

“Conditions are favourable for further advance of the south-west monsoon into remaining parts of the north Arabian Sea, Gujarat, Rajasthan and thus the entire country during the next 2-3 days,” the IMD added.

The monsoon reached Kerala on June 28, three days ahead of the normal onset date. It pounded the western coast in the first half of the month.