The air quality in Delhi on Wednesday deteriorated beyond the "severe" level because of a ground-level dust storm in western India, which increased coarser particles in the air, the Central Pollution Control Board data shows. The control room of CPCB recorded the PM 10 levels at 797 micrograms per cubic meter. The safe limit for PM10 is 100µg/m3 and the condition is considered severe if readings are above 430µg/m3. The dust storm has also affected areas adjoining Delhi— Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Noida, the national news website Statesman reported. The meteorological department has predicted that hazy conditions in the city will continue for the next 48 hours. According to CPCB, the air quality index at several places in Delhi crossed the 500-mark, with east Delhi's Anand Vihar area recording an AQI of 891. In Ghaziabad, the AQI was recorded at 863 and in Noida the reading stood at 880. An AQI between 0-50 is considered Good, 51-100 Satisfactory, 101-200 Moderate, 201-300 Poor, 301-400 Very Poor, and 401-500 Severe.
