New Delhi: Air quality Index (AQI) in the national capital continued to remain “very poor” with several stations recording “severe” levels of pollution. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index of 384 on Friday at 6 am.
20 stations recorded an AQI above 400 with air quality plummeting into the “severe” category. These include Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Mundka, Jahangirpuri, and Wazirpur among others.
As winter approaches, pollution issues in Delhi are intensifying and are expected to further deteriorate in the coming days. On Thursday, sixteen weather stations registered AQI levels above 400, with an additional seven areas reaching “severe” levels by evening. These include Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Mundka, Jahangirpuri, Wazirpur, Okhla Phase 2, Punjabi Bagh, Rohini, Sonia Vihar, and Patparganj, among others.
For unversed, 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”, 401 and 450 “severe” and above 450 “severe-plus”.
Earlier on Thursday morning, Delhi was blanketed by a thick, grey haze, which took around three hours to dissipate as the city’s residents, particularly children and the elderly, struggled with a racking cough and a burning sensation in the eyes — annual complaints for the Capital in the winter season.
Forecasts show that unfavourable meteorological conditions are likely to persist in the coming days, and the Capital’s pollution levels are likely to remain in the “very poor” category till at least the weekend.
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