Delhi AQI improves to 280, stops in poor category

On Tuesday, the overall air quality index of Delhi was 302, in the ‘very poor’ category after going through a marginal deterioration from Monday when the city’s AQI had improved to ‘poor’ category, at 293

Air quality in Delhi improved and stopped at the poor category on Wednesday morning. According to data shared by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 280 as per the 7am bulletin.

Morning walkers at India Gate amid rising air pollution in New Delhi. (File photo)

An AQI between 0 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.

On Tuesday, the overall air quality index of Delhi was 302, in the ‘very poor’ category after going through a marginal deterioration from Monday when the city’s AQI had improved to ‘poor’ category, at 293.

Even though farm fires continued raging in Punjab and Haryana, with more than 3,000 cases reported on Tuesday again, a change in the wind direction helped keep the share of stubble fumes on the city’s pollution under check.

Scientists at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said though the city choked, high wind speed helped keep the situation from deteriorating.

VK Soni, head of IMD’s environment monitoring research centre, said that the AQI levels are likely to remain in the early end of ‘very poor’ category till November 5, after which there could be a marginal deterioration again.

Union ministry of earth sciences’ air quality monitoring centre, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar) data showed that stubble burning count over Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday was 3,068. The crop burning count has been above 3,000 for the last five days now.

IMD scientists said that the temperature is expected to remain around the 10 degree Celsius mark through the week. The minimum temperature has been hovering at 3-5 degrees below normal for the past five days.