Air quality in Delhi remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday, with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recording an overall air quality index of 390.
Meanwhile, data on CPCB’s Sameer app showed that as many as 19 AQI monitoring stations in the national capital recorded air quality levels in the ‘severe’ category, highlighting Delhi’s worsening pollution situation.
The situation is not expected to improve as an earlier forecast predicted that the air quality is likely to remain in the very poor category for the coming days, Mint reported earlier.
Weather situation in Delhi
Residents should also prepare for difficult commuting conditions on Monday. The Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert and is predicting very dense fog over the capital.
The temperature forecast for Monday said the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 22 and 7 degrees Celsius, news agency PTI reported.
Sunday’s weather showed a difference between day and night temperatures. The city recorded a minimum of 6.3 degrees Celsius, which is 0.5 degrees below the seasonal average. Meanwhile, the maximum temperature settled at 22.5 degrees Celsius, 2.1 degrees above the seasonal average, the meteorological department said.
Notably, humidity levels reached 100% at 5.30pm on Sunday 28 December, contributing to dense fog and smog build-up.
Pollution remains severe in local hotspots across Delhi
While the city average is high, data from the Sameer app reveals worse conditions in specific neighborhoods.
Anand Vihar recorded the highest level of pollution as its AQI stood at 457, while the remaining stations remained in the ‘very poor’ group.
Delhi witnessed relatively better air quality on Wednesday and Thursday before pollution levels started to rise again from Friday, with AQI readings approaching the severe category.
Earlier on Saturday morning, Delhi’s air quality worsened and slipped back into the “very poor” category, with the air quality index (AQI) crossing 300 in many areas.
Cool weather, calm winds, and dense fog trap pollutants near the surface, resulting in persistent haze and smog. With the current weather likely to continue, poor air quality is expected to persist, necessitating continuous monitoring and stricter pollution control measures, Mint said.
To put these numbers into perspective, air quality is based on different numerical ranges. According to CPCB standards, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “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”.
