Delhi’s AQI to hover around 300 for the next few days, says IMD

Delhi woke up to poor air quality on Tuesday as AQI stood at the threshold of 300, which went up to 305 around 8am in the morning.

Delhi’s overall air quality index (AQI) will remain around 300 for the next few days and residents are expected to experience air quality that will vary from ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday.

Around 20 monitoring stations flagged ‘red’ as AQI crossed 300, with Shadipur recording the worst AQI at 353 (REUTERS)

“Delhi AQI will be around 300 (poor to very poor) for the next few days, with a minimum temperature of 14°C-15°C,” RK Jenamani, IMD Scientist, told news agency ANI on Tuesday.

Delhi woke up to poor air quality on Tuesday as AQI stood at the threshold of 300, which went up to 305 around 8am in the morning.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies an AQI ranging from 51-100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 as ‘moderate’, 201-300 as ‘poor’, 301-400 as ‘very poor’ and above 401 as ‘severe’.

The IMD official also opined that the air quality has been “better comparatively”, and smog hasn't developed, due to many factors”. The early warning system for New Delhi has predicted that air quality will worsen around November 5 and 6, and may reach the upper end of the ‘very poor’ category, and PM 2.5 is expected to be the predominant pollutant.

Around 20 monitoring stations flagged ‘red’ as AQI crossed 300, with Shadipur recording the worst AQI at 353, followed by Narela and Bawana at 348 each.

IMD predicted partly cloudy skies on Tuesday with a minimum temperature around 15 degree Celsius and maximum temperature around 30°C, marking a slight increase from the minimum temperature of 13.6°C as recorded on Monday.