Delhi air quality witnessed considerable deterioration over the weekend when AQI levels hovered near the 500-mark, falling in the ‘severe’ category on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Delhi Air Quality update: In a big relief for Delhiites, air quality in the national capital witnessed a marginal improvement on Wednesday, with the average AQI jumping to ‘very poor’ category, even as a thick layer of smog persisted across the city.
Delhi air quality ‘improves’
According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Delhi recorded a 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 334 at 4 pm on Wednesday, compared to 354 on Tuesday.
As per data from CPCB’s Sameer app, 29 of Delhi’s 39 active monitoring stations logged an AQI in the ‘very poor’ air quality, while the remaining stations reported ‘poor’ levels, with ITO recording the highest AQI at 378, and IGI Airport registered the lowest reading at 258, both falling in the ‘poor’ category.
Notably, Delhi air quality witnessed considerable deterioration over the weekend when AQI levels hovered near the 500-mark, falling in the ‘severe’ category on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 and 500 ‘severe’, as per CPCB categorisation.
Delhi AQI expected to slip further
Meanwhile, the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has forecast the city’s air quality in the capital to oscillate between ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories over the next six days.
Data from the Decision Support System for Air Quality Management showed that transport contributed 16.3 per cent to Delhi’s pollution on Wednesday, up from 11.95 per cent a day earlier, while industries within Delhi and its peripheral areas accounted for 8 per cent, neighbouring Jhajjar contributed 16.5 per cent, while other sources together formed the largest share at 34.3 per cent.
Transport-related emissions are projected to rise further to 17.4 per cent on Thursday, the data revealed.
Earlier, on Sunday, Delhi recorded its worst air quality of the season as the average AQI settled at 461, even as restrictions under GRAP Stage-IV remained enforced in the Delhi-NCR region.
Delhi’s min temp drop below seasonal average
On the weather front, the minimum temperature in Delhi settled at 10.4 degrees Celsius, 2.3 notches below normal, while the maximum temperature was recorded at 24.7 degrees Celsius, 2.5 degrees above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Humidity levels ranged between 68 and 100 per cent during the day, it said.
As per the IMD forecast, the city is likely to witness moderate fog on Thursday, with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 23 degrees Celsius and 9 degrees Celsius, respectively.
