A thick layer of smog engulfed Delhi on Friday morning, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 331 at 7:00 am, thus pushing it back into the ‘very poor’ zone, as per the Central Pollution Control Board. Jahangirpuri logged the maximum air pollution at 405 at some point in the day, firmly landing it in the ‘severe’ category.
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Visibility decreases as prime spots choke
A combination of smog and shallow fog decreased visibility in some regions of the capital. Anand Vihar recorded an air quality value of 395, followed by highly polluted places such as Vivek Vihar with 393, Ashok Vihar with 382, Bawana with 373, NSIT Dwarka with 388, Rohini with 385, Wazirpur with 397, Chandni Chowk with 368, and DTU with 371.
Although there has been some relief in recent weeks, big chunks of Delhi were still shrouded in the hazardous smog. Dense smog still enveloped some regions like Ghazipur and Anand Vihar. The AQI stood at 346 at the Sonia Vihar station, while at Wazirpur, it touched 397. Dhaula Kuan also logged 337.
Neighbouring cities are also affected
The air pollution levels were also high in NCR. Noida’s Sector 116 had an air quality index reaching 400, with an average air quality index of 360. Its neighbour, Greater Noida, stood at 342.5. In Uttar Pradesh, Meerut’s average air quality index stood at 374 at three air quality monitoring stations, with Loni in Ghaziabad reaching a hazardous level of 427.
Fog, smog, and constant temperature conditions ahead
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted partially cloudy conditions with shallow to moderate fog on Friday morning. Although it will be chilly, with morning temperatures ranging from 7° to 9° Celsius in Delhi, there will be no change in the maximum temperatures, which will remain between 23° and 25° Celsius.
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Delhi had been under three days with low air quality, with an AQI on Thursday at 285, which falls below 301, ‘very poor’. Delhi experienced some respite earlier during the week as it entered the ‘poor’ air category due to higher wind gusts on Wednesday, after remaining at ‘very poor’ air for nine consecutive days.
The AQI scale based on CPCB divides 0-50 into ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’. The IMD also said that the minimum temperatures will remain stable for the next two days and then increase by 2-4°C for the next three days.
