Delhi: Air quality remains ‘very poor’, layer of smog over city

A layer of smog blanketed the national capital on Monday morning, with the air quality falling into the “very poor” range, recording an average AQI of 358 at 9 am, as reported by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

According to data from the CPCB‘s Sameer App, which offers hourly AQI updates, Bawana and New Moti Bagh stations were both in the severe category with AQI readings of 409.

Delhi has been experiencing extremely high pollution levels over the past few weeks, largely attributed to stubble-burning in nearby states, Diwali fireworks, and low wind speeds.

On Friday morning, the AQI was also in the ‘very poor’ range, with a reading of 387.

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The AQI scale is categorized as follows: 0-50 is ‘good,’ 51-100 is ‘satisfactory,’ 101-200 is ‘moderate,’ 201-300 is ‘poor,’ 301-400 is ‘very poor,’ and 401-500 is ‘severe.’

In the meantime, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 18.3 degrees Celsius on Saturday, four degrees above the season’s average.

Humidity was at 98 percent at 8.30 am, as per the India Meteorological Department.

The weather department has forecast mainly clear skies for the day, with the maximum temperature likely to reach around 32 degrees Celsius.

(With inputs from PTI)