The minimum temperature was recorded at 9.4 degrees Celsius, a notch above the normal for this time of the year, according to official data
Pic/PTI
A thick blanket of fog enveloped Delhi on Tuesday morning, blurring skylines, slowing traffic and sharply reducing visibility across several areas.
Minimum temperatures remain above seasonal average
The minimum temperature was recorded at 9.4 degrees Celsius, a notch above the normal for this time of the year, according to official data.
Among stations, Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 9.4 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season's average; Palam logged 8.6 degrees Celsius, while Lodhi Road reported 9.6 degrees Celsius, about two notches above the season's average.
The Ridge station recorded 11 degrees Celsius, three notches above normal, and Ayanagar registered 10.3 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal.
Visibility dropped to 100 metres at both Palam and Safdarjung, the weather office said.
Air quality slips into ‘poor’ category across city
The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) was clocked at 256 at 9 am, placing it in the 'poor' category.
Station-wise data according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed air quality at 19 stations in the poor category, 10 in very poor and 10 in moderate.
Several parts of the national capital experienced dense fog on Tuesday morning. The Air Quality Index stood at 256 at 7 am, placing air quality in the poor category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Several monitoring stations across the city reported AQI levels in the poor-to-very poor range. Ashok Vihar stood at 287. Bawana reported an AQI of 239, Burari 234, and Chandni Chowk 324. Dwarka Sector 8 recorded 293, ITO 248, while Mundka recorded 297 and Wazirpur recorded 316.
Okhla Phase-2 logged an AQI of 310, Rohini 281, Punjabi Bagh 295, and RK Puram 300. Lower readings were recorded in Narela (168) and Alipur (212), according to the CPCB.
According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
Rahul Gandhi seeks parliamentary debate on air pollution
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, called for a parliamentary debate on air pollution and asked the government to ensure "enough money" in the Union Budget to tackle the issue.
In a Facebook post, Gandhi read messages from citizens, and in a self-made video, he urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare air pollution a national health emergency.
In the self-made video, Lok Sabha LoP said, "It is about time the government allows a discussion in Parliament and the Prime Minister should declare pollution a national health emergency. We need to come together and develop a serious plan. We need to make sure there is enough money in the budget to tackle this problem."
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