New Delhi: Delhiites are experiencing increasingly toxic air quality each day, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) crossing the 400 mark, in the severe category, in several parts of the city on Saturday, placing the national capital among the most polluted cities in the country. The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI), reported at 4 pm, stood at 361 on Saturday. This placed Delhi in the red zone and made it the second most polluted city in the country, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Delhi chokes, AQI crosses 400 at several locations
Several areas in the city recorded pollution levels in the severe category. Monitoring stations reported an AQI of 404 in Alipur, 402 at ITO, 406 in Nehru Nagar, 411 in Vivek Vihar, 420 in Wazirpur, and 418 in Burari, according to CPCB’s Sameer app, which collected data from 38 monitoring stations across Delhi. In the National Capital Region, Noida recorded an AQI of 354, Greater Noida 336, and Ghaziabad 339, all in the very poor category, according to CPCB data. On Friday, Delhi recorded an AQI of 322, ranking first among the most polluted cities in the country. PM2.5 and PM10 were the primary pollutants on Saturday.
Worrying figures
According to the Decision Support System for air quality forecasting, stubble burning contributed around 30 per cent to Delhi’s pollution, while the transport sector accounted for 15.2 per cent on Sunday. Satellite data recorded 100 stubble burning incidents in Punjab, 18 in Haryana, and 164 in Uttar Pradesh on Friday.
The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has predicted that the city’s air quality will remain in the very poor category over the next few days. Since Diwali, the capital’s air quality has mostly remained poor or very poor, occasionally slipping into the severe category. The CPCB defines an AQI of 0 to 50 as good, 51 to 100 as satisfactory, 101 to 200 as moderate, 201 to 300 as poor, 301 to 400 as very poor, and 401 to 500 as severe.
