NEW DELHI: The air quality in the national capital continued to remain under the "very poor" category on Wednesday with the Air Quality Index (AQI) standing at 382, as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).
"AQI today remains in 'Very Poor' category. Winds coming from the north west direction at 925millibars (mb) have slowed down but are favourable for transport of stubble related pollutants to Delhi, said Safar, the forecasting body under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
"However, its impact on Delhi's PM2.5 is reducing gradually. Today's share of crop residue burning is 27 per cent in PM2.5. AQI is likely to improve further but remains in the very poor category due to partially cloudy conditions and shallow mixing layer height," it added.
Due to persistent pollution in Delhi's air, the residents of the national capital complained about rising health problems.
Payal Sakariya, a cyclist from Sarita Vihar Delhi told ANI, "Living in Delhi is like living in pollution. Cannot escape that. Pollution is less this year and from last 2-3 days, it is gradually decreasing. Congestion, nose block, breathlessness are a few symptoms that I face but it is better to stay outside than to remain home.
She said that number of cyclists in Delhi has also decreased due to the rise in pollution levels. "I noticed more than usual cyclers the day before yesterday. As an individual, I do carpool and do not burn crackers. But the government should take measures to control the situation," she added.
Laxmi Narayan, another resident observed that pollution is causing more problems for senior citizens as they are at a higher risk of contracting diseases.
"Pollution has slightly decreased from last 2-3 days. A city like Delhi is extremely polluted and after Diwali, it always increases. The Court, Government and other agencies have been repeatedly telling people to reduce pollution, but nobody listens. It is very difficult for senior citizens as they are at a higher risk of contracting diseases," he said.
"I think the major reason behind increasing pollution at this time is stubble burning, cracker burning and inadequate rains. Both Delhi and the Central Government should work together to control the pollution. Due to the use of CNG as a fuel in vehicles, they do not contribute much to pollution," added Narayan.
Saurabh from Delhi Elite cyclist group speaking to ANI said, "The AQI here is over 300 so we have come outside today and will do low-intensity activities keeping in view the air quality and pollution. There are a few factors that have spiked pollution in Delhi, such as factories, vehicles, cracker burning, stubble burning, labours are cooking food using wood. The AQI is comparatively better than the last year."
Meanwhile, the senior consultant at the department of medicine in Sri Ganga Ram Hospital on Tuesday said the situation of dengue in Delhi has worsened this year as compared to the previous year.
Speaking to ANI, Pooja Khosla, Senior Consultant, Department of Medicine, Sri Ganga Ram hospital said, "The situation of dengue has worsened this year as compared to the previous year. "Last year, people were careful because COVID-19 restrictions were there. This year, the situation has worsened in the last four to five weeks. There are more than 1,500 dengue cases in Delhi."
"There is a type of 'complicated dengue' in which the patients have a high fever, bleeding complications, breathlessness, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting etc. They directly lead to ICUs as they need blood, oxygen support," she added.
Khosla said some people also get infected with dengue without symptoms and their Immunoglobulin G (IgG) tests reveal they were infected with dengue in the past.
"Some patients who are falling sick do not even know that they were infected with dengue in the past because people get infected with 'mild dengue' do not get symptoms. Their IgG tests reveal that they were infected earlier," he said.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Delhi government and North Delhi Municipal Corporation regarding an action plan to control the dengue outbreak in Delhi.
The Central government had extended help to nine states and union territories with a higher caseload of dengue, including Delhi, and sent high-level teams to support them in public health measures for its control and management.
The national capital reported 33 new COVID-19 cases and zero death in a day while the positivity rate stood at 0.06 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here on Tuesday.
Delhi recorded only four deaths due to the infection in October, while five people had succumbed to the viral disease in September.
No Covid death has been reported in the city in November so far.
With the new cases, the coronavirus infection tally in the city has climbed to 14,40,176.
Over 14.14 lakh patients have recovered from the disease, according to the bulletin.
A total of 51,130 tests were conducted a day ago, including 37,836 RTPCR/CBNAAT/True Nat tests, while the remaining were rapid antigen tests.
The death toll stands at 25,091.
There are 349 active cases in the city, up from 342 a day ago, while the number of home isolation patients stands at 164, down from 165 on Monday.
The number of containment zones came down to 115 from 121 a day before.
In April and May, Delhi battled a brutal second wave of the pandemic that claimed a massive number of lives and led to a shortage of oxygen and essential drugs at hospitals.
On April 20, Delhi had reported 28,395 cases, the highest in the city since the beginning of the pandemic.
On April 22, the case positivity rate was 36.2 per cent, the highest so far.
The highest number of 448 deaths was reported on May 3.
According to the sixth sero survey, 97 per cent of the population in Delhi has developed antibodies against coronavirus as a result of a large number of people getting exposed to the virus during the second wave and robust vaccination in the capital.
All districts in the capital have a seroprevalence of more than 93 per cent.
Four districts -- South, Central, Northeast and East -- have recorded a seropositivity rate of 99 per cent, 99.5 per cent, 99.7 per cent and 99.8 per cent respectively.
Women (90.1 per cent) have a higher seropositivity rate than men (88.2 per cent) while those aged below 18 have a seropositivity rate of 88 per cent.
Ninety-five per cent of the vaccinated people who have a history of COVID-19 infection have developed antibodies as compared to 82 per cent unvaccinated ones.
(With PTI Inputs)