Delhi air quality remains ‘very poor'; MeT warns of dense fog on Monday, Dec 29
Delhi's air quality remains very poor with an AQI of 390. Nineteen monitoring stations recorded severe levels. An orange alert for dense fog has also been issued.
New Delhi's air quality remained in the "very poor" category on Sunday, with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recording an overall Air Quality Index reading of 390.
Meanwhile, data on the CPCB's Sameer App showed that as many as 19 AQI monitoring stations across the national capital recorded air quality levels in the “severe” category, highlighting the deteriorating pollution situation in Delhi.
The situation is not expected to improve as an earlier forecast predicted that air quality is likely to remain in the very poor category in the coming days, Mint reported earlier.
Delhi's weather situation
Residents should also prepare for difficult commuting conditions on Monday. The meteorological department has issued an orange alert, predicting very dense fog across the capital.
The temperature forecast for Monday says that the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 22 and 7 degrees Celsius, respectively, news agency PTI reported.
Sunday's weather showed a gap between day and night temperatures. The city recorded a low of 6.3 degrees Celsius, which is 0.5 degrees below the season's average, Meanwhile the maximum temperature settled at 22.5 degrees Celsius, 2.1 notches above the seasonal average, the meteorological department said.
Notably, the humidity levels hit 100% at 5 .30 pm on Sunday, 28 December, contributing to heavy fog and smog buildup.
Pollution remains severe in local hotspots across Delhi
While the city average is high, data from the Sameer App reveals a more dire situation in specific neighbourhoods.
Anand Vihar recorded the highest pollution level as its AQI stood at 457, while the remaining stations stayed within the “very poor” bracket.
Delhi witnessed relatively better air quality on Wednesday and Thursday, before pollution levels began to increase once again from Friday, with AQI readings nearing the severe category.
Earlier on Saturday morning, Delhi's air quality had worsened, slipping back into the ‘Very Poor’ category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeding 300 in many areas.
Cold weather, calm winds, and dense fog are trapping pollutants near the surface, resulting in persistent haze and smog. With the current weather pattern likely to continue, poor air quality is expected to persist, prompting continued monitoring and calls for stricter pollution-control measures, Mint reported.
To put these numbers into perspective, the air quality is based on various numerical ranges. An AQI between 0 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”, according to CPCB standards.