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Stubble burning continues in Punjab, Haryana; officials say pollution will worsen in days ahead Air quality in Delhi reached "very poor" status on Saturday, but even worse news is

in store for the capital's residents: It will worsen in the coming days, and several parts of the city are already heading towards "severe" levels. Despite all this, however,

burning of stubble in Punjab and Haryana continues to make the air more toxic. The readings taken a day after Dussehra showed air quality index (AQI) for Delhi at 337, a record low for the

national capital this season. As per guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), this reading indicates "very poor" air quality. Many residents of Delhi-NCR

complained of breathing difficulties on Saturday. "Being an asthma patient, it's difficult for me to even breathe," said Balvinder Malhotra, a resident of Karol Bagh. People

have stopped sending their children outdoors to play due to a high risk of developing respiratory problems. "My eight-year-old daughter stays indoors in the evening. She developed a

wheezing cough a few days ago, and the doctor said it was because of air pollution," said Smridhi Seth, a resident of Malviya Nagar. While stubble burning plays a big role in the

deteriorating air quality, experts also claimed that the sudden decline in air quality was down to burning of effigies for Dussehra. A senior CPCB official has warned continued stubble

burning and low wind speeds in Delhi could mean the air quality will worsen in the coming days. An AQI bulletin collated by the CPCB showed about 31 areas in Delhi recorded "very

poor" air, while two others — CRRU Mathura Road Dwarka Sector 8 — and showed "severe" levels at 414 and 402 AQI respectively. Anand Vihar, DTU, Mundka, Narela, Nehru Nagar and

Rohini all showed "very poor" air quality. On Friday, meanwhile, the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Protection Control Authority met with government officials to discuss the

pollution situation in the national capital. "North India and the foothills are all affected by high aerosol levels. Unless there are strong winds to drive these aerosols away, they

will accumulate here. During Diwali, the situation will obviously deteriorate further unless strict restrictions are placed on firecrackers," said an IMD scientist who asked to not be

named. Moreover, it's not just the Delhi-NCR region but also throughout north India that air quality was said to be worsening. Even cities like Kanpur and Lucknow reported air quality

that was either nearing or breahing the "very poor" mark. And the trend over the coming days is likely to be the same, alarming authorities who were planning to roll out more

stringent measures to combat pollution. WORST AREAS OF DELHI * 414 The most polluted part of the NCR on Saturday was CRRU Mathura Road, which had an AQI of 414 * 402 Dwarka Sector 8 recorded

402, just past the 400-mark, which is used as a barometer to separate ‘severe’ from ‘very poor’ * 337 The average AQI for Delhi on Saturday was 337, which is already a record low for the

national capital this season * 158 The PM 2.5 (particles with diameter less than 2.5mm) hit a new high * 270 The PM 10 (particles with diameter less than 2.5mm) was at 270