As the winter season approaches, air quality in the nation’s capital remains in the poor category, with a layer of smog covering parts of the metropolitan city and reducing visibility.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s AQI was 365 at 7 am on Sunday.
Of the city’s 39 monitoring stations, 26 recorded pollution levels in the very poor range, while the remaining 13 fell into the poor category.
Places that reported very poor readings included RK Puram (326), Punjabi Bagh (320), Chandni Chowk (308), Rohini (341), Vivek Vihar (304), Bawana (352), Sirifort (318), Wazirpur (337), Anand Vihar (327), Ashok) and Soharnia (325). Stations registering poor air quality included Alipur (282), NSIT Dwarka (239), Mandir Marg (212), IGI Airport (227), Aya Nagar (263) and eight other places.
According to CPCB guidelines, an AQI of 0–50 is rated as “good”, 51–100 as “satisfactory”, 101–200 as “moderate”, 201–300 as “poor”, 301–400 as “very poor” and 401–500 as “severe”.
Pollution levels fluctuated significantly throughout the week. The city recorded an AQI of 279 on Sunday, rose slightly to 304 on Monday, further climbed to 372 on Tuesday and settled at 342 on Wednesday. The trend remained in the very poor category on Thursday (304) and Friday (327).
Data from the decision support system for Delhi showed that transport in the capital contributed the largest share of local emissions at 14.8%. Industrial activity in Delhi and nearby regions accounted for 7.3%, residential resources 3.6% and construction 2%.
In neighboring NCR districts, Jhajjar contributed 13.9% to the pollution burden while Rohtak added 5.2%.
How cold will Sunday be for Delhi residents?
Delhi was rocked on Friday as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘yellow alert’ for the city due to cold wave conditions. The alarm was lifted on Sunday (December 7), although the wintry chill continued across the capital.
On Sunday, temperatures should drop to 9 °C, daily highs will reach almost 25 °C. The IMD has forecast partly clear skies and although chilly conditions persist, the cold wave warning has now been withdrawn.
