Delhi AQI improves marginally, stays in very poor category

Delhi woke up to a foggy morning as forecast by India Meteorological Department. The minimum temperature is likely to be at 10°C while maximum temperature is predicted to be at 29°C

Delhi’s air quality improved to the lower end of the very poor category on Monday morning. Data from Central Pollution Control Board showed that the hourly air quality index (AQI) at 7am stood at 326. On Sunday, the average 24-hour AQI had been 351.

Vehicles ply amid a dense layer of smog at Rajpath, in New Delhi. The AQI in the national Capital has stayed in the very poor category despite improving slightly. (File photo)

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.

However, Union ministry of earth science’s air quality monitoring centre, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), had on Sunday said that the air quality in the Capital was likely to deteriorate.

“The overall Delhi air quality is in the middle-end of the very poor category. Surface winds are low. The ventilation is likely to stay low for today (Sunday) and marginal deterioration in AQI is forecast for tomorrow (Monday). Surface winds are forecast to improve and AQI likely to improve towards the lower end of very poor for February 16 and 17,” Safar said in its daily bulletin on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Delhi woke up to a foggy morning as forecast by India Meteorological Department (IMD). The minimum temperature is likely to be at 10 degrees Celsius (°C) while maximum temperature is predicted to be at 29°C.

The minimum temperature on Sunday was 8.6°C which was two degree lower than the normal and the maximum temperature was 28.7°C-- five notches above normal.