Delhi Air Quality Enters 'Severe' Category, AQI Stands At 400
The AQI in Delhi remained in 'very poor' category for five consecutive days before deteriorating to 'severe' category on Sunday.
New Delhi: The air quality in the national capital Delhi has again deteriorated and fallen into the ‘severe’ category, reported ANI.
IMD scientist Vijay Soni told ANI on Sunday that the AQI in the city is at around 400 but hoped to see improvement from evening onwards.
“Due to low wind speed & decrease in mixing layer height, the air quality is deteriorating in Delhi. Today the air quality has come to the severe category with AQI around 400. We will see an improvement in AQI from evening onwards,” he said.
Due to low wind speed & decrease in mixing layer height, the air quality is deteriorating in Delhi. Today the air quality has come to the severe category with AQI around 400. We will see an improvement in AQI from evening onwards: Vijay Soni, IMD scientist in Air Quality Division
— ANI (@ANI) December 4, 2022
In a telephonic conversation with ANI, Vijay Soni said, "Today morning, the air quality of Delhi was in the severe category with an Air Quality Index (AQI) around 400. The main reason behind this has been with winds remaining calm for the whole day and night on Saturday, which deteriorated air quality significantly."
"But today (Sunday) we expect that winds will improve and we will see an improvement in the AQI from evening onwards," he said.
Soni went on to explain two main reasons for air quality to be in a severe category, and said, "The main reason is low wind speed and decrease in mixing layer height. The mixing layer height has come down significantly close to the surface. So, these two factors are really contributing to the deterioration in air quality."
"Mixing height is the height up to which air pollutants get mixed up in the atmosphere. The wind is almost calm, but today morning it has started. Right now, the wind speed is up to 8 kmph," he elaborated.
When asked if it's normal to have such air quality in December, Soni said that the air quality generally deteriorates during this time of the year. " In this month generally, we see lower mixing height and low wind speed and hence we experience bad air quality," he added.
The AQI in Anand Vihar crossed the 500-mark on Sunday while the quality index dipped to 379 in the Kashmiri Gate area.
The air quality in the city remained in ‘very poor’ category for the fifth straight day till Saturday before worsening to the ‘severe’ category on Sunday.
Earlier on Saturday, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala slammed Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for declining air quality in Delhi. He took a jibe at Kejriwal on Twitter and said, “Thank you Kejriwal ji! You keep campaigning outside Delhi & people here continue to suffer & gasp!”
AQI in Delhi today! Above 350 in several parts!! Delhi has become a gas chamber again!
— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) December 3, 2022
Breathing this air is like breathing poison!
Thank you Kejriwal ji! You keep campaigning outside Delhi & people here continue to suffer & gasp!
Time to vote out pollution pic.twitter.com/GEv9HOGdGc
The spokesperson said that Delhi continues to remain a gas chamber with AQI of nearly 350 in most parts of the city.
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