Delhi chokes as air quality remains in ‘very poor’ category for 8th consecutive day

The national capital continued to struggle with toxic air as its air quality remained in the “very poor” category for the eighth consecutive day on Sunday.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 329 at 9 AM, slightly lower than Saturday’s 24-hour average of 346.

Data from the Sameer app, which provides hourly updates, showed that 23 out of 38 monitoring stations across the city reported “very poor” AQI levels.

An AQI between 0-50 is classified as “good,” 51-100 as “satisfactory,” 101-200 as “moderate,” 201-300 as “poor,” 301-400 as “very poor,” and 401-500 as “severe.”

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported a minimum temperature of 11 degrees Celsius, with humidity levels at 93 per cent at 8.30 AM. The weather department predicted a mostly clear sky for the morning, with the maximum temperature expected to reach around 27 degrees Celsius.

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi forecasted that the AQI would remain in the “very poor” category for the next three days.

PM2.5 was identified as the primary pollutant, with levels reaching 153 µg/m³ at 3 PM on Saturday. These fine particles pose severe health risks as they can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.

Vehicular emissions, which are tracked daily by the Centre’s Decision Support System (DSS) for Air Quality Management, typically update at noon. However, as of 4 PM on Saturday, the website only reflected Friday’s data, which indicated that vehicular emissions contributed 21.6 per cent to Delhi’s overall pollution.

(With inputs from PTI)