No respite from pollution woes; cold wave forecast in city

There was no respite from toxic air in the city as the air quality stayed in the ‘very poor’ category on Friday.

According to the 9 am reading, the air quality stood at 323. However, 30 stations across the city reported ‘very poor’ levels, with Bawana recording the highest AQI at 373.

The city recorded an AQI of 279 on Sunday which slipped back to 304 on Monday. It rose further to 372 on Tuesday, edging towards the ‘severe’ mark, and stood at 342 on Wednesday. It again turned ‘very poor’ on Thursday at 304.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI between 0 and 50 is classified ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.

On the weather front, a cold wave has been forecast for the day by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The minimum temperature settled at 5.6 degrees Celsius, which is 3.9 notches below normal, while the relative humidity touched 100 per cent.

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The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 22 degrees Celsius later in the day.