Delhi Sees Marginal AQI Improvement to 273, Remains in Poor Category
Large parts of the city remained shrouded in smog, and overall air quality continued to be in the ‘poor’ category
New Delhi: The national capital witnessed a slight improvement in air quality on Wednesday morning, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 273 around 7 am, placing it in the ‘poor’ category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The air quality showed marginal improvement from Tuesday, when the AQI stood at 294. However, large parts of the city remained shrouded in smog, and overall air quality continued to be in the ‘poor’ category.
According to CPCB data, the AQI at Anand Vihar was recorded at 280, falling under the ‘poor’ category. In the Patpadganj area, the AQI was 304, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category.
Several monitoring stations across the city reported AQI levels in the ‘very poor’ range. Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 362, while Ashok Vihar stood at 323. Bawana reported 332, and Chandni Chowk recorded 340. Dwarka Sector 8 logged an AQI of 317, while Mundka reported 323.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast rain or thundershowers accompanied by strong gusty winds throughout the day. Thunderstorms with lightning and winds at speeds of 30 to 40 kmph are expected during the morning, forenoon, afternoon, evening and night. The temperature is likely to range between 19 and 9 degrees Celsius.
Furthermore, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has revoked Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR in view of the improvement in air quality and favourable forecast trends.
However, considering the winter season and the possibility of unfavourable weather conditions, authorities have urged citizens to strictly adhere to the citizen charter under Stages I and II of the existing GRAP framework to prevent further deterioration in air quality.
As per AQI classification, a reading between 0 and 50 is categorised as ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.
