Delhi's air quality remained hazardous on Monday, with the city’s overall AQI recorded at 382, nearing the ‘severe’ level. Fifteen monitoring stations reported readings exceeding 400, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The 24-hour average AQI remained at 382, placing the city in the ‘very poor’ category for the 11th consecutive day.
According to the CPCB data, the average AQI stood at 391 on Sunday, 370 on Saturday, 374 on Friday, 391 on Thursday, 392 on Wednesday, 374 on Tuesday and 351 on Monday.
The CPCB's Sameer app, which provides real-time air quality readings from all monitoring stations in Delhi, indicated that 15 out of 38 active stations recorded ‘severe’ air quality on Monday.
These included locations such as ITO, Punjabi Bagh, Patparganj, Ashok Vihar, Sonia Vihar, Rohini, Vivek Vihar, Narela and Bawana, among others, where AQI levels exceeded 400.
According to CPCB standards, AQI levels are classified as follows: 0–50 – good, 51–100 – satisfactory, 101–200 – moderate, 201–300 – poor, 301–400 – very poor, and 401–500 – severe.
Meanwhile, the Decision Support System (DSS) of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, estimated that vehicular emissions contributed 21.6% to Delhi’s pollution on Monday, making it the highest pollutant source, while stubble burning accounted for 1.8%.
For Tuesday, these contributions are projected at 21% and 1.6%, respectively.
Satellite imagery detected three farm fires in Punjab, one in Haryana and 522 in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the minimum temperature was recorded at 9.3 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal, while the maximum settled at 26.1 degrees Celsius, 0.6 degrees above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
For Tuesday, the IMD has forecast moderate fog, with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 24°C and 9°C, respectively.
