Delhi Pollution: City’s AQI moves from ‘severe’ to ‘very poor’ category

Delhi Pollution: Delhi’s air quality saw some improvement on Wednesday morning, with the AQI moving to ‘very poor’ from ‘severe’ the day before, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The national capital’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 336 in the morning, as against 415 on Tuesday, the CPCB data showed.

Of Delhi’s 40 air quality monitoring stations, 36 recorded AQI in the ‘very poor’ category. Nehru Nagar recorded the highest reading of 392, the CPCB’s Sameer app showed.

An AQI between 0 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’.

Fog and smog reduced visibility in some parts of Delhi early in the morning.

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 10.2 degrees Celsius, 2.7 notches above normal. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 19 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The humidity level stood at 100 per cent.

The IMD has forecast moderate fog during the day.

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Extended absences put Lok Nayak doctors under scrutiny

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According to highly placed sources, the doctors are alleged to have taken extended leave without adequate prior intimation or clear documentation, even as they continue to draw full government salaries. The matter has raised concerns within the hospital administration, particularly given Lok Nayak Hospital’s heavy patient load from across Delhi and neighbouring States.

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Police deployment has also been increased in the border areas of the national capital, as it shares borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and is close to Rajasthan. A large crowd is expected to arrive in the city for New Year’s celebrations from these states.