Delhi Air Quality: Thick blanket of smog covers city, AQI in ‘very poor’ category

Delhi’s air quality remained classified as ‘very poor’ on Sunday, with thick fog blanketing the city in the morning.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) for the national capital was measured at 369 at 9 am, a notable increase from 290 on Saturday, as reported by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Some monitoring stations indicated ‘severe’ air quality, with readings surpassing 400.

According to data from the CPCB’s Sameer app, which provides hourly AQI updates, eight out of 38 monitoring stations—Anand Vihar, Wazirpur, Rohini, Punjabi Bagh, Nehru Marg, Mundka, Jahangirpuri, and Ashok Vihar—recorded AQI levels above 400.

The AQI scale categorizes levels 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.’

Delhi’s minimum temperature was noted at 16.5 degrees Celsius, which is 1.2 degrees below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Humidity levels were at 94 percent at 8:30 am.

The IMD forecasts mainly clear skies for the day, with the maximum temperature expected to reach around 34 degrees Celsius.

(With inputs from PTI)