Delhi's 3-day 'severe' AQI streak ends, air quality improves to 'very poor'

Pic/PTI

Delhi's three-day run of 'severe' air pollution ended on Tuesday morning, with the city's average Air Quality Index (AQI) showing a marginal improvement and settling in the 'very poor' category at 395.

Despite the improvement, pollution levels remained worrying across monitoring stations.

Out of the total stations reporting, 23 were still in the 'severe' category, 14 in 'very poor', and 1 in 'poor', according to data from the CPCB Sameer app.

Anand Vihar, Wazirpur among worst-hit pollution hotspots

Several areas in Delhi reported alarmingly high AQI levels. Anand Vihar and Ashok Vihar both recorded AQI readings of 444, while Wazirpur registered 446. Other pollution hotspots included Punjabi Bagh (437), RK Puram (421), Bawana (418), ITO (414), Chandni Chowk (412) and Dwarka Sector 8 (412). All these locations fell in the 'severe' category, indicating extremely poor air quality and heightened health risks.

CPCB explains AQI categories and thresholds

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classification, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good'; 51 to 100 is 'satisfactory'; 101 to 200 is 'moderate'; 201 to 300 is 'poor'; 301 to 400 is 'very poor'; and 401 to 500 is 'severe'.

Three-day severe pollution streak prompted Stage 4 curbs

The city had experienced three consecutive days of 'severe' air pollution. On Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the AQI exceeded the 400 mark, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to implement Stage 4 restrictions.

Air quality likely to remain ‘very poor' in coming days

Meanwhile, the Air Quality Warning System has forecast that Delhi's air quality is likely to remain in the 'very poor' category on Tuesday and continue at similar levels over the next two days.

Cold conditions persist with minimum temperature at 7.2 degrees Celsius

Weather conditions provided little relief, with the minimum temperature in Delhi recorded at 7.2 degrees Celsius.

Station-wise temperature readings show chilly morning

Station-specific data indicated minimum temperatures of 8.8 degrees Celsius at Palam, 9.0 degrees Celsius at Ridge, 8.0 degrees Celsius at Ayanagar, and 7.6 degrees Celsius at Lodhi Road, while Safdarjung noted the city's lowest minimum at 7.2 degrees Celsius.

The maximum temperature is expected to reach 24 degrees Celsius, accompanied by moderate fog.