Delhis air quality gets slightly better, to turn very poor again in coming days
Pollution levels had also improved briefly, with PM10 falling from 260 to 175.2 micrograms per cubic metre and PM2.5 from 128.2 to 85.5.
PTC News Desk: After a short break, Delhi’s air quality got worse again on Thursday, with the overall AQI rising to 264 — putting it firmly in the “poor” category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Experts warn that the air could further deteriorate to “very poor” levels in the next few days.
A thick layer of smog covered many parts of the city, especially around ITO, where the AQI hit 290 in the morning. In North Delhi’s Narela, it was almost the same at 294. This came just a day after Delhi saw its cleanest air in nearly a week — on Wednesday evening, the AQI had dropped to 202. Pollution levels had also improved briefly, with PM10 falling from 260 to 175.2 micrograms per cubic metre and PM2.5 from 128.2 to 85.5.
However, by Thursday morning, most of Delhi’s 38 air monitoring stations were back to worrying readings. Data from the CPCB’s Sameer app showed 28 stations in the “very poor” category (above 300). Air quality in nearby cities wasn’t much better either — Gurugram recorded an AQI of 229, Noida 216, and Ghaziabad 274, all in the “poor” range. Faridabad did slightly better at 187 but still remained unhealthy.