Air pollution level increases in Delhi, eight stations in red zone
Oct 30, 2024, 11:28 IST
A day ahead of Diwali, air pollution increased considerably in the national capital on Wednesday, with as many as eight monitoring stations recording very poor-quality air. Delhi recorded an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 278 at 9 am, up from 268 recorded a day earlier.
The city's overall AQI remained in the 'poor' category—a marginal improvement seen from Tuesday due to favorable wind speed after several days of very poor quality air. On Monday, Delhi recorded an AQI of 304. AQI was 359 on Sunday.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 is seen as satisfactory, 101 to 200 is considered moderate, 201 to 300 falls under the poor category, 301 to 400 is seen as very poor, and 401 to 500 falls under the severe category, necessitating the issuance of health guidelines and closures of schools and offices.
According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board, out of the 36 monitoring stations that reported data, eight—Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Aya Nagar, Bawana, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Vivek Vihar, and Wazirpur—recorded "very poor" category AQI in the morning.
Meanwhile, temperatures have yet to start dropping. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 21 degrees Celsius, 4.9 notches above the normal for this time of the season.
The humidity level stood at 83% at 8 am. The city would see mainly clear skies during the day, with the maximum temperature expected to hover around 36 degrees Celsius. At present, the overall AQI of Delhi was 282, i.e., poor.
Tomorrow is expected to be slightly better in Gurgaon and adjoining areas, as India celebrates Diwali. The AQI forecast for Gurgaon, as per SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) in Gurgaon stands at 77.51, which falls in the satisfactory category. However, Noida, another satellite town in Delhi-NCR will not see any relief in its air quality, with the AQI projected to be at 208.92
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The city's overall AQI remained in the 'poor' category—a marginal improvement seen from Tuesday due to favorable wind speed after several days of very poor quality air. On Monday, Delhi recorded an AQI of 304. AQI was 359 on Sunday.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 is seen as satisfactory, 101 to 200 is considered moderate, 201 to 300 falls under the poor category, 301 to 400 is seen as very poor, and 401 to 500 falls under the severe category, necessitating the issuance of health guidelines and closures of schools and offices.
According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board, out of the 36 monitoring stations that reported data, eight—Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Aya Nagar, Bawana, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Vivek Vihar, and Wazirpur—recorded "very poor" category AQI in the morning.
Meanwhile, temperatures have yet to start dropping. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 21 degrees Celsius, 4.9 notches above the normal for this time of the season.
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Tomorrow is expected to be slightly better in Gurgaon and adjoining areas, as India celebrates Diwali. The AQI forecast for Gurgaon, as per SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) in Gurgaon stands at 77.51, which falls in the satisfactory category. However, Noida, another satellite town in Delhi-NCR will not see any relief in its air quality, with the AQI projected to be at 208.92