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While stubble burning was said to be a key cause for the toxic smog in the national capital, prompting a spat between Delhi government and governments of neighbouring states, a Centre-run monitoring agency said the particulates from the dust storm that entered the upper atmospheric layer of Delhi and the larger region also contributed to a spike in air pollution levels.
On November 8, the contribution of the dust storm was 40 per cent, eclipsing the role of emissions from stubble burning, which stood at 25 per cent, the Pune-based System of Air Quality And Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) said.
That was the day pollution levels peaked with PM2.5 concentration reaching 640 micrograms per cubic metre, according to the SAFAR scientific assessment report of the week-long pollution crisis accessed by PTI.
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Uptick in air pollution levels prompted Aam Admi Party led Delhi government to impose a swries of emergency measures in the national capital such as a ban on the entry of trucks and construction activities yielded positive results, the agency said, putting the gains at around 15 per cent in terms of percentage.
PM2.5 are ultrafine particulates, up to 30 times finer than a width of a human hair, which can lodge deep in the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing irreparable harm to living beings.