Agra, Nov 14 (IANS): The continuing surge in Covid-19 cases in Agra for the past 10 days has alarmed the district health administration which had briefly heaved a sigh of relief in October.

In the last 24 hours, 83 fresh cases were reported. The death toll has gone up to 155.

The total number of cases so far is 8,085, according to District Magistrate P.N. Singh. The number of active cases is 595.

Health department officials said the crowded markets ahead of the Diwali festival, could have been a cause for the surge.

"Perhaps after the festival, there would be less crowding and better compliance of Covid guidelines," an official hoped.

The pollution overload has also been cited as a contributory factor.

Though there was a slight improvement in the quality of ambient air on Friday with PM 2.5 level coming down to 275, as also Nitrogen and Carbon reducing, the overall picture continues to remain alarming with the night temperature dropping.

"One major problem was the frequent traffic jams for long hours. To add to the woes of the locals, half a dozen agencies are engaged in digging up roads all over the city. This has led to a significant rise in the dust level," explained environmentalist Devashish Bhattacharya.