Delhi's air quality neared the 'severe' mark on Friday morning as the city recorded an AQI of 384 at 7 AM, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This announcement comes just after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) lifted Stage 3 restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan in the National Capital Region.
The 24-hour average AQI was 377 on Thursday and deteriorated further to 381 at 8 pm. Many monitoring stations recorded readings in the 'severe' category late on Thursday evening. Poor air quality has now plagued the capital for over two weeks, marking a persistent issue of winter pollution.
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What do the numbers mean?
CPCB classifies AQI levels in the following manner: 201-300 “poor”, 301-400 “very poor” and 401-500 “severe”. Although the current AQI recorded in Delhi falls in the ‘very poor’ category, according to the forecasts by the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the air quality would continue to remain unhealthy without crossing into the severe category.
A CAQM official said, “Based on the forecast provided by the IMD and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, we were told the AQI will worsen marginally on Thursday as wind speeds will drop.” “However, by Thursday evening and from Friday onwards, winds are forecast to pick up again and so the AQI is not likely to touch 400 and into the severe category”, Hindustan Times quoted the official as saying.
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Temperature and weather outlook
The IMD has forecast partly cloudy skies with shallow fog in the early morning for November 28 to 30. The temperatures of Delhi are likely to be below normal, with maximum readings between 25-27°C and minimum around 9-11°C. Winds are expected to be northerly and north-northwesterly, increasing gradually to blow at speeds of up to 10 kmph during the afternoon.
