Delhi AQI: Air quality improves to ‘poor’ category, cold conditions intensify

Delhi experienced a cold and windy start to Sunday, with the minimum temperature settling at 6.6 degrees Celsius. A thin layer of smog lingered over parts of the national capital, reducing visibility in several areas during the morning hours.

Weather conditions improved slightly as the day progressed. By Sunday afternoon, the temperature rose to around 17 degrees Celsius at 3 pm, with sunny conditions prevailing across the city.

Air quality also showed marginal improvement, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) moving to the ‘poor’ category from ‘very poor’. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s average AQI stood at 298.

Despite the improvement, pollution levels remained high in several locations. Nehru Nagar recorded the highest AQI at 359, followed by Jahangirpuri at 347, Anand Vihar at 339 and RK Puram at 336. Other areas with elevated pollution levels included Patparganj (315), Azadpur (327), Vivek Vihar (317), Siri Fort (334), Rohini (320), Okhla Phase 2 (333), Chandni Chowk (334) and Dwarka Sector 8 (308), as per CPCB data recorded at 7 am.

Cold conditions had intensified a day earlier, with the minimum temperature dropping to 5.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). A thick layer of smog enveloped large parts of the city, while air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category throughout the capital.

The overall AQI on Saturday surged to 361, with several areas crossing the 300 mark. Nehru Nagar recorded the highest AQI at 426, followed by Dwarka Sector 8 at 402 and RK Puram at 390. Patparganj reported an AQI of 400, Chandni Chowk 398, ITO 361 and the area near IGI Airport 326.

On Friday, temperatures dropped to around 5 degrees Celsius, with cold conditions prevailing across the city. Air quality fluctuated between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’, while dense smog significantly reduced visibility in many areas.

Several parts of Delhi saw a sharp deterioration in air quality on Friday. Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 385, while high pollution levels were also reported from Chandni Chowk (335), Jahangirpuri (340), Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (354), ITO (307), Feroz Shah Road (307), Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range (360), Dwarka Sector 8 (346), Ashok Vihar (328) and Nehru Nagar (392).

(With ANI inputs)