Delhi wakes up to ‘poor’ air, above-normal minimum temperature

Delhi woke up to ‘poor’ air Friday morning as a layer of smog hung over the city, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) at 225 at 9 am, according to official data.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 19 degrees Celsius, 1.8 degrees above normal, at Safdarjung — the city’s base station.

According to station-wise data, Palam recorded the lowest minimum temperature — 18.3 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees above normal — followed by Lodhi Road at 18.6 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees above normal. Ayanagar and the Ridge logged 19.1 degrees and 19.2 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 32 degrees Celsius, with mainly clear skies during the day, the India Meteorological Department said.

According to data on the Central Pollution Control Board’s SAMEER app, 38 monitoring stations recorded air quality in ‘poor’ category, while 18 logged ‘moderate’ AQI.

Pusa recorded the highest AQI among the listed stations at 290, followed by RK Puram at 284 and Rohini at 279, with readings nearing the ‘very poor’ category. Narela recorded an AQI of 272, while Mathura Road and Dwarka logged 268 each. Among other stations, North Campus of Delhi University recorded an AQI of 240, followed by the IGI Airport’s Terminal 3 station at 228 and Anand Vihar at 216.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.