Delhi’s air quality remains in ‘very poor’ category for 14th consecutive day

Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) remained in the ‘very poor’ category for a 14th consecutive day as calm winds across the national Capital continued to disperse pollutants.
The average AQI of 355 (very poor) at 8am was a marginal deterioration from Monday’s 4pm reading of 352 (very poor).
Forecasts show AQI will continue to remain very poor till at least Thursday, with no significant change in meteorological conditions.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies AQI between 0-50 as “good”, between 51 and 100 as “satisfactory”, between 101 and 200 as “moderate”, between 201 and 300 as “poor”, between 301 and 400 as “very poor”, and over 400 as “severe”.
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The national Capital has been recording ‘smog’ conditions for the past week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) states, adding similar smog is likely to persist in the region.
The IMD classifies it as fog when visibility is below 1,000 metres. It can be termed smog when visibility is less than 1,000 metres and the relative humidity is less than 75%.
“Winds are remaining calm overnight, which leads to fog formation. We are seeing fog in the early hours of the day and smog for the rest of the day,” said an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official.
CPCB data showed at least five stations were in ‘severe’ category at 8am on Tuesday. This included Wazirpur (424) and Jahangirpuri (417), data showed.
Delhi’s overall AQI touched ‘very poor’ on October 30 and has stayed in this range since. It is yet to plummet to ‘severe’ this season.
Meanwhile, the minimum temperature in the capital continued to remain above normal. The minimum was 17.9°C on Tuesday — four degrees above normal and 0.7°C higher than Monday. The maximum is expected to hover around 33°C. It was 32.4°C a day earlier.