Air quality 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.
Meanwhile, 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.
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".
The visibility in the national capital also dropped in some areas Tilak Nagar, RK Puram, Akshardham, ITO among others as a thick layer of smog covers the city.
| Station | AQI |
| Alipur | 397 |
| Anand Vihar | 416 |
| Ashok Vihar | 420 |
| Bawana | 441 |
| Burari Crossing | 441 |
| CRRI Mathura Road | 441 |
| DTU | 412 |
| Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range | 402 |
| Dwarks Sector-8 | 391 |
| IGI Airport (T3) | 391 |
| IBHAS, Dilshad Garden | 266 |
| ITO | 349 |
| Jahangirpuri | 439 |
| Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium | 367 |
| Lodhi Road | 192 |
| Dhyan Chand Stadium | 399 |
| Mandir Marg | 385 |
| Mundka | 428 |
| NSIT Dwarka | 341 |
| Najafgarh | 374 |
| Narela | 404 |
| Nehru Nagar | 412 |
| New Moti Bagh | 429 |
| North Campus, DU | 529 |
| Okhla Phase-2 | 397 |
| Patparganj | 402 |
| Punjabi Bagh | 405 |
| Pusa, DPCC | 361 |
| Pusa, IMD | 361 |
| RK Puram | 405 |
| Rohini | 440 |
| Shadipur | 387 |
| Siri Fort | 397 |
| Sonia Vihar | 405 |
| Sri Aurobindo Marg | 261 |
| Vivek Vihar | 414 |
| Wazirpur | 434 |
*Figures according to Air Quality Warning and Decision Support System For Delhi under Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology as of 6 am.
On Thursday, officials from the Delhi government said three mist spray drones will be hired to combat dust pollution in hotspot areas and gather real-time data on major pollutants, reported PTI.
The drones will be deployed across 13 identified pollution hotspots to spray water and improve quality, they said.
According to the officials, the exercise will help in settling dust particles, reducing particulate matter (PM) concentrations and mitigating the adverse effects of air pollution on public health and the environment.
An environment department officer of the Delhi government said the process for hiring a vendor to operate the three drones has begun as a 15-day trial in hotspot areas.
The drones will have a 17-litre tank and will be capable of covering one acre within 15 minutes. These drones will also integrate real-time air quality monitoring systems and high-resolution cameras for accurate data collection and reporting.
The drones will work on pre-programmed routes to ensure comprehensive coverage for mist spray in most polluted areas as well as real-time monitoring. The air quality monitoring system, installed on the drones, will measure temperature, humidity, pressure, ozone, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, PM10 and PM2.5 among other parameters.