Delhi chokes as AQI hits 391, Rohini at 475 and IIT-Delhi at 472 worse than most

PTC Web Desk:  Delhi woke up to a heavy blanket of smog on Friday, with air quality getting worse through the morning and moving close to the 'severe' mark. The city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 391 at 9 am, up from 389 an hour earlier.

The picture was grim across the capital. Out of 59 monitoring stations, 30 reported air in the severe zone by 9 am and the rest were in the very poor range. Rohini was the most polluted spot with an AQI of 475, while IIT-Delhi followed closely at 472.

The Air Quality Early Warning System says Delhi may see its first “severe” air day of this season on Friday itself. The bad air is expected to hang around until November 8, which is also Diwali.

Stubble burning in the NCR region is at its peak right now and firecrackers on Diwali could make things even worse. Weather experts warn that a number of hotspots in the city may cross an AQI of 450.

For reference, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) rates AQI as follows: 0-50 is good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor, and 401-500 severe.

On the weather front, the minimum temperature at Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, was 17.2°C, which is 1.9 degrees above normal for this time of year. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) expects a maximum of around 30°C today. Light fog is likely in the mornings and may continue until November 9.

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