The air quality index in Delhi remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday, and is likely to touch the ‘severe’ level.
According to data from the Sameer app, the AQI in the Capital is 309, with the poorest air quality being recorded in Alipur at 421. Sri Aurobindo Marg had the lowest AQI at 152.
According to the bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board on Monday, the average AQI stood at 309, with data being recorded till 4 pm. After slipping to the ‘very poor’ category at the start of this month, the average air quality index has remained at the same level.
AQI ‘very poor’ for third day, data missing from some stations: Top points
• Haze enveloped Delhi on Monday as the air quality index remained in the ‘very poor’ category for the third straight day. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 309 (very poor) at 4 pm, a slight improvement from Sunday, when it was 366 (very poor) at the same time.
• Three stations in Delhi showed ‘moderate’ air quality on Monday, including ITO, a busy traffic intersection, with AQI at 188. However, a closer look showed the station had several hours of data missing, according to an earlier HT report. Data on the Sameer app showed AQI at the ITO to be as low as as 80 (satisfactory) at 8 am on Monday.
{{/usCountry}}• Three stations in Delhi showed ‘moderate’ air quality on Monday, including ITO, a busy traffic intersection, with AQI at 188. However, a closer look showed the station had several hours of data missing, according to an earlier HT report. Data on the Sameer app showed AQI at the ITO to be as low as as 80 (satisfactory) at 8 am on Monday.
{{/usCountry}}• Meanwhile, the air quality is expected to deteriorate further to touch the ‘severe’ level on Tuesday, before returning to ‘very poor’ level again on Wednesday, according to the Early Warning System (EWS) bulletin on Sunday.
• An approaching western disturbance is expected to lead to stagnation, according to the Sunday EWS forecast. However, no updated forecast was issued on Monday, with the Decision Support System also not updated. The DSS provides the breakup of Delhi’s pollution sources.
• Winds began to pick up on Sunday, touching 10 km/hr and rising to 5 km/hr on Monday, Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet told HT. A fresh layer of smog might be expected on November 4 and November 5 with the western disturbance negatively affecting AQI, Navdeep Dahiya, another meteorologist, said.