Delhi air quality slips a notch, stays poor; min temp at 17.5°C

On Monday evening, at least four stations in Delhi recorded “very poor” air--Dwarka Sector 8, Jahangirpuri, North Campus Delhi University and Shadipur. Anand Vihar, one of the most prominent pollution hot spots in the city recorded “severe” air

The Capital’s air deteriorated further on Monday with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) bulletin recording an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 237 on Monday, a decline from Sunday’s reading of 232, both in the “poor” category.

Delhi’s air quality is forecasted to further deteriorate in the coming three days and remain between the upper end of the ‘poor’ and the lower end of the ‘very poor’ category. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

On Monday evening, at least four stations in Delhi recorded “very poor” air--Dwarka Sector 8, Jahangirpuri, North Campus Delhi University and Shadipur. Anand Vihar, one of the most prominent pollution hot spots in the city recorded “severe” air.

To be sure, an AQI reading 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”.

“Delhi’s air quality is forecasted to further deteriorate in the coming three days and remain between the upper end of the ‘poor’ and the lower end of the ‘very poor’ category. Surface winds are still strong, causing moderate dispersion of pollutants,” said Gufran Beig, founder and project director at System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 17.5 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal for this time of year, and a maximum temperature was 32.5 degrees Celsius. The Met department has predicted a maximum temperature of 33 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 17 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.