Delhi: Air Quality Remains 'Severe' As Winter Knocks National Capital's Door

The minimum temperature in the nation's capital was 16.5-degree Celsius while the AQI remained above the 'severe' category, i.e., 400 at 31 out of 36 monitoring stations.

New Delhi: Amid the rising pollution levels in the Delhi-NCR, the minimum temperature in Delhi settled at 16.5 degree Celsius which is a notch below normal according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The maximum temperature on Friday is expected to settle at 31.3 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal. 

High humidity is known to increase the rate of toxic chemicals in the air and the relative humidity in the national capital on Friday at 8:30 am was 92 per cent.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi at 9:30 am on Friday stood at 426, which is in the 'severe' category as per the data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The most polluted places in the capital are Jahangirpuri with an AQI of 485 followed by Anand Vihar with an AQI of 471.

Other areas that recorded “severe” AQI are Bawana (482), Nehru Nagar (482), Narela (477), Mundka (476), Wazirpur (475), Alipur (475), Rohini (474), Dwarka (474), Sonia Vihar (472), Vivek Vihar (471), Ashok Vihar (470), Burari (460), DTU (446), ITO (438), Patparganj (435).

Any AQI above the bar of 400 is considered 'severe'. Not only can it impact those with existing illnesses but it can also seriously affect the people who are healthy.

According to CPCB's data, at 9:10 am, 31 out of 36 monitoring stations in the capital recorded AQI in the 'severe' category. Following this, the weather office has predicted that a shallow fog will be covering Delhi during the day. 

The Commission for Air Quality Management suggested the state governments take a call on the closure of educational institutions, and non-emergency commercial activities and utilize the 'odd-even' scheme for vehicles to reduce the emission.

The 24-hour average AQI of Delhi stood at 450 on Thursday evening at 4 pm. This is just a notch short of the 'severe plus' category. The concentration of fine particles known as PM2.5 which can cause damage to the lungs was above 470 micrograms per cubic metre. This is around 8 times the safe limit in many areas which stands at 60 micrograms per cubic metre.

(With PTI inputs)