Delhi’s air quality remains ‘very poor’ for third day

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed at least 11 of Delhi’s 40 ambient air quality monitoring stations recorded pollution in the severe range at 8am

Delhi’s air quality remained in the higher end of the “very poor” category for a third day on Tuesday as calm winds and low temperatures continued to impact the dispersion of pollutants. An average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 384 (very poor) was recorded at 8am on Tuesday. AQI over 401 is categorised as “severe”. The AQI was 381 on Monday at 4pm and 382 at the same time on Sunday.

The pollution levels have increased since Saturday as wind speeds dropped. (HT PHOTO)

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed at least 11 of Delhi’s 40 ambient air quality monitoring stations recorded pollution in the severe range at 8am on Tuesday. They included Anand Vihar (457), Jahangirpuri (440) and NSIT Dwarka (430).

The air quality was unlikely to improve as meteorological conditions were largely likely to remain the same. The Early Warning System for Delhi has forecast “very poor” air quality until Thursday.

An official said winds were calm overnight before increasing to around 4-6 km per hour for brief periods. “The visibility was around 2100 metres overnight and dropped marginally to 1,800 metres at 6am. The same visibility is now persisting,” said the official.

Delhi’s AQI is yet to touch severe this season. The pollution levels have increased since Saturday as wind speeds dropped. Strong surface winds of 10-15 km per hour earlier helped disperse pollutants, effectively clearing out a large chunk of the firecracker emissions released post-Diwali.

Delhi’s average AQI was 339 on Friday, the second-lowest post-Diwali in nine years. The AQI then improved to 316 on Saturday.

The CPCB classifies AQI between 0-50 as “good”, between 51 and 100 as “satisfactory”, between 101 and 200 as “moderate”, between 201 and 300 as “poor”, between 301 and 400 as “very poor”, and over 400 as “severe”.