The state pollution control board blamed the spurt in the city’s air pollution on a combination of chill and cloud. Just after midnight on Tuesday (December 31), five out of the six automatic air pollution measuring stations in the city showed an air quality index (AQI) of 350 to 407 around midnight on December 30. An AQI of 301 to 400 means the air quality is “very poor” and prolonged exposure to such air can trigger respiratory illness. PM2.5 — so calledbecause such particulates have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometre — is also the most toxic of all air pollutants. “The city needs to follow in the footsteps of Delhi and adopt the environment-friendly CNG (compressed natural gas) if it wants to combat air pollution.

Source: The Telegraph December 31, 2019 20:03 UTC