Delhi's air quality again plunges into very poor category as AQI worsens after brief respite
PTC News Desk: Delhi’s air quality got worse again on Monday, moving close to the ‘very poor’ range. This comes just one day after strong winds had briefly improved pollution levels from ‘very poor’ to ‘poor’ for the first time in 16 days. At 7 am, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was 298, still in the ‘poor’ category, as fog and smoke covered the city, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). On Sunday, the AQI had improved slightly to 279 — the second-best level recorded in November, after 202 on November 5. But 22 out of 39 monitoring stations in Delhi still showed ‘very poor’ air.
As per CPCB standards, an AQI of 0–50 is ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’, and 401–500 ‘severe’.
Nehru Nagar in south Delhi recorded the worst pollution, with an AQI of 351 (‘very poor’). NSIT Dwarka in southwest Delhi had the best reading at 195, which is ‘moderate’. Other heavily polluted areas such as Anand Vihar (323), Bawana (337), Burari Crossing (304), Jahangirpuri (319), Mundka (330), Punjabi Bagh (326), Shadipur (325), and Wazirpur (321) also fell in the ‘very poor’ category.
Meanwhile, the national capital recorded its best average air quality from January to November since 2018 (except the lockdown year 2020), according to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). The average AQI this year was 187, compared to 201 last year, 190 in 2023, 199 in 2022, and similar figures from earlier years.
Only three days this year saw the AQI cross 400 (‘severe’), compared to 11 days in 2024 and 12 days in 2023, CAQM said.
- PTC NEWS
