New Delhi: Delhi saw a slight improvement in air quality on Thursday morning, with the AQI dropping to 279, which falls in the ‘poor’ category, according to CPCB data. However, there was little relief from the weather as severe cold wave conditions continued for the second day, with dense fog and cold winds causing temperatures to fall across Delhi-NCR.
This marked a slight improvement from Wednesday, when the national capital recorded an AQI of 302 at the same time, categorising the air quality as ‘very poor’.
Delhi Air Quality Improves Slightly, Most Areas Still in ‘Very Poor’ Category
Delhi’s air quality showed a small improvement compared to Wednesday, when the AQI stood at 302, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category at the same time.
- Despite this improvement, many parts of the city continued to record ‘very poor’ air quality.
- Nehru Nagar reported the worst pollution levels with an AQI of 344, followed by Anand Vihar (337) and Jahangirpuri (332).
- R.K. Puram remained in the very poor category with an AQI of 326.
- Vivek Vihar and Chandni Chowk each recorded an AQI of 322, while the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range stood at 320.
- Sirifort logged an AQI of 319, and Okhla Phase-2 recorded 313.
- Dwarka Sector 8 and Wazirpur both reported AQI levels of 311.
- Patparganj (307), Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (306), Pusa (305) and Rohini (301) also fell under the very poor category.
- Several areas recorded air quality in the ‘poor’ range, including Sonia Vihar and IHBAS Dilshad Garden at 298, followed by Mundka (297).
- Ashok Vihar and Punjabi Bagh each logged an AQI of 296.
- Narela and Sri Aurobindo Marg recorded an AQI of 281, while the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium stood at 276.
- ITO recorded 271, DTU 269, and Alipur 268.
- Shadipur reported an AQI of 266, Najafgarh 255, and North Campus, Delhi University, recorded 247.
- Aya Nagar stood at 244, CRRI Mathura Road at 238, and IIT Delhi at 237.
- Burari Crossing recorded an AQI of 234, Lodhi Road 226, and Mandir Marg and IGI Airport Terminal 3 both logged 208.
- NSIT Dwarka reported an AQI of 207.
- Bawana was the only area in Delhi to record ‘moderate’ air quality, with an AQI of 174.
As per CPCB standards, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.
Meanwhile, Delhi-NCR continued to experience intense cold wave conditions for the second straight day. Dense fog and cold northwesterly winds contributed to the prevailing chill and reduced visibility in many areas. The maximum temperature on Wednesday (January 7) was recorded at 16.7 degrees Celsius, marginally higher than the 15.7 degrees Celsius recorded on Tuesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a steep rise in the maximum temperature on Thursday, with no significant change expected in the coming days across the national capital region. The Meteorological Department has also forecast moderate to dense fog in Delhi and upper-level fog across the Indo-Gangetic Plain on Thursday (January 8).
Cold weather is likely to get harsher across northern India till January 15. A yellow alert has been issued, warning of moderate fog in many areas and dense fog in some places during morning hours. After this period, the weather is expected to remain partly cloudy, with light to moderate fog continuing till January 13.
(From the Inputs of IANS)
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