The air quality index in Delhi moved from "severe" to "very poor" category on Monday. An increase in wind speed helped slightly reduce the deadly haze that has choked Delhi residents for about a week, news agency PTI reported. A day after pollution levels rose to a three-year high, Delhi's air quality index at 4 pm on Monday was 407. It dipped further and at 8.30 pm the AQI stood at 370 (very poor category).
The weather office has said that said Cyclone Maha and a western disturbance will cause rain in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi NCR on Wednesday and Thursday, which might improve the situation, PTI reported.
On Monday, top officials from Delhi, Punjab and Haryana talked about several measures adopted by them to tackle air pollution over the past 24 hours in a meeting held by the Prime Minister's Office on Monday. The measures included fines on farmers involved in stubble burning and sprinkling water in "pollution hotspots" across the states.