With AQI at 231, Delhi’s air quality turns ‘poor’; city temperature drops below seasonal average

The national capital on Saturday experienced air quality classified as ‘poor,’ with officials noting a minimum temperature of 20.9 degrees Celsius, slightly below the seasonal average.

At 9 am, the Air Quality Index (AQI) for the national capital stood at 231. The AQI scale designates values from zero to 50 as ‘good,’ 51 to 100 as ‘satisfactory,’ 101 to 200 as ‘moderate,’ 201 to 300 as ‘poor,’ 301 to 400 as ‘very poor,’ and 401 to 500 as ‘severe.’

In response to the deteriorating air quality, the Central government’s air quality panel directed authorities in the National Capital Region to implement a ban on coal usage in hotels and restaurants. Additionally, punitive measures were recommended against polluting industries and thermal power plants. This directive was issued under the ‘Graded Response Action Plan’ (GRAP), a pollution control initiative implemented during the winter season in Delhi-NCR.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), tasked with enforcing GRAP, reported a sudden decline in air quality parameters over the past 24 hours, with Delhi’s AQI reaching 212, categorizing it as ‘poor.’ The commission emphasized the need to invoke Stage-I of GRAP across the entire NCR to prevent further deterioration.

GRAP is structured into four stages: Stage I – ‘Poor’ (AQI 201-300), Stage II – ‘Very Poor’ (AQI 301-400), Stage III – ‘Severe’ (AQI 401-450), and Stage IV – ‘Severe Plus’ (AQI > 450).

Humidity in Delhi was recorded at 62 percent at 8:30 am on Saturday, with the weather department forecasting clear skies throughout the day. The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 37 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department.