Delhi's air quality remains in ‘very poor’ category; minimum temperature drops

The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 16.1 degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning.

The overall air quality in Delhi-NCR remained in the 'very poor' category on Tuesday with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 303 in the morning. The air quality in the national capital region has deteriorated since Sunday due to a combination of low temperatures, calm winds, and farm fires in neighbouring states.

Delhi's air quality remains in the 'very poor' category ( Reuters)

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the air quality on Tuesday morning in the Delhi University area was at 335, Pusa at 242, IIT Delhi (306), Airport area (313), Mathura Road (173). Meanwhile, Noida recorded an AQI of 308, while Gurugram was at 249.

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.

Meanwhile, the national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 16.1 degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperature in the region is likely to settle at 31.5 degrees Celsius during the day. On Sunday morning, Delhi saw the lowest temperature of the season at 15.6 degrees Celsius.

8 new pollution hotspots found in Delhi

The Delhi government on Monday identified eight new pollution hotspots in the city for which action plans will be formulated and special teams will be deployed to monitor the sources of pollution. The new hotspots include - Shadipur, ITO, Mandir Marg, Nehru Nagar, Patparganj, Sonia Vihar, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, and Moti Bagh.

"Separate winter action plans have been formulated for the 13 hot spots and similar plans will be developed for the eight additional areas. Field inspections will be carried out on October 25 at these hotspots,” Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai said.

In 2018, the government first identified 13 pollution hotspots which consistently had a higher annual PM 2.5 concentration than Delhi’s average. They include - Anand Vihar, Mundka, Wazirpur, Jahangirpuri, RK Puram, Rohini, Punjabi Bagh, Okhla, Bawana, Vivek Vihar, Narela, Ashok Vihar, and Dwarka.