Delhi air quality nears ‘severe’ mark as haze, smog blanket city

The national capital’s air quality is inching towards the “severe” category with an AQI reading of 375, bringing it into the red zone on Thursday.

The thick haze and smog enveloping the city have reduced visibility, with PM2.5 levels standing at 184.4 and PM10 at 301.9, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Several areas in the city recorded alarming AQI levels, with Vivek Vihar (426), Anand Vihar (415), Ashok Vihar (414), Bawana (411), Wazirpur (419) and Sonia Vihar (406) standing in the “severe” category. As many as 37 out of 38 monitoring stations reported “very poor” air quality with readings above 300, CPCB data showed.

A blanket of haze and smog covered Delhi on Thursday morning, trapping pollutants and worsening air quality, which had remained in the “poor” category for the past few days. The city’s AQI rose sharply from 279 a day earlier to 375, CPCB data showed.

As per CPCB, PM10 — which includes inhalable particles such as dust, pollen, and smoke was recorded at 301.9, while PM2.5, a fine particulate matter that penetrates deep into the lungs and poses severe health risks, stood at 184.4, both considered “hazardous”.

Environmentalist Vimlendu Jha said the yellowish smoky layer seen in the morning was smog — a mixture of fog and air pollution is smog which reduces visibility and poses serious health risks, especially for vulnerable groups.

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi stated that the city’s ventilation index — which reflects the atmosphere’s capacity to disperse pollutants, remained below the favourable level of 6,000 m²/s.

Weak winds under 10 kmph and high humidity have prevented pollutants from dispersing, leading to a hazy sky.

At 7:30 AM, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported visibility of 1,000 metres in Palam and 800 metres in Safdarjung, both witnessing calm wind conditions.

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An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 to 500 ‘severe’, according to the CPCB classification.

The minimum temperature settled at 20.1 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal, while the humidity stood at 90 per cent at 8.30 am. The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 30 degrees Celsius.

The weather department has also predicted cloudy sky with light rain or drizzle for later today.