Delhi air quality plunges into very poor category, fog further drops visibility
At Safdarjung, Delhi’s main weather observatory, visibility was 900 metres with calm winds, while Palam reported 1,300 metres visibility and south-southwesterly winds at 4 kmph.
PTC News Desk: Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday as fog and sluggish winds hindered the dispersion of pollutants, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported. Several parts of the city recorded Air Quality Index (AQI) levels breaching the ‘severe’ mark, with readings exceeding 400.
At 7 a.m., Delhi’s overall AQI stood at 377, according to the CPCB’s Sameer app—a sharp rise from 233 on Saturday and 218 on Friday. Wazirpur in north Delhi and RK Puram in south Delhi were the most polluted localities, registering AQIs of 432 and 425, respectively, both classified as ‘severe.’
As per CPCB standards, an AQI between 0–50 is considered ‘good,’ 51–100 ‘satisfactory,’ 101–200 ‘moderate,’ 201–300 ‘poor,’ 301–400 ‘very poor,’ and 401–500 ‘severe.’ Areas such as Burari (412), Bawana (413), Dwarka Sector-8 (407), Jahangirpuri (402), Mundka (404), Nehru Nagar (403), Punjabi Bagh (403), Pusa (404), Chandni Chowk (414), Rohini (415), Siri Fort (403), and Vivek Vihar (407) all reported ‘severe’ air quality levels. Only NSIT Dwarka (254), IHBAS Dilshad Garden (270), and Delhi Technological University (292) recorded AQI values in the ‘poor’ range.
At Safdarjung, Delhi’s main weather observatory, visibility was 900 metres with calm winds, while Palam reported 1,300 metres visibility and south-southwesterly winds at 4 kmph. On Saturday night, the city’s AQI had dropped to 303, also within the ‘very poor’ category.