A blanket of smog engulfed the national capital on Saturday morning as the pollution level deteriorated to the "poor" category ahead of Diwali.
The air quality in the national capital remained in the 'poor' category on Saturday with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 262, as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).
In the morning, the India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhavan were not visible clearly as smog covered the Kartavya Path.
Speaking about bursting firecrackers on Diwali Mehta said "Firecrackers have been banned by the government people should follow it. I have relatives who are facing difficulty in breathing. People avoid walking nowadays."
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, and 401 and 500 severe.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had said that Delhi-NCR's Air Quality Index (AQI) is likely to be 300 plus on October 22.
The CAQM in its tweet said that air quality will move towards "Very Poor" and further actions under Stage I will be intensified.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government has banned the production, storage, sale, and bursting of crackers this year as well as fines and jail terms in case of violation.
In a bid to reduce vehicular pollution, the Delhi Government also announced the 'Red Light On Gaadi Off' campaign.
Under the campaign, public representatives and officials will motivate commuters to turn their vehicles off at red lights in a bid to curb vehicular pollution.
The air quality in the national capital is also affected because of stubble burning in surrounding Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan in the winter.
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