Delhi woke up to a biting cold Tuesday morning as temperatures dropped sharply, with the mercury dipping to 3°C in several parts of the city. Dense fog continued to blanket the national capital, reducing visibility and adding to the discomfort caused by the ongoing cold wave. Alongside the chill, air pollution remained a serious concern, with overall air quality staying firmly in the “very poor” category.
AQI remains a major concern
The overall Air Quality Index (AQI), according to the Central Pollution Control Board(CPCB), stood at 337 at 8 am on Thursday. Several monitoring stations across the city reported AQI levels well above the 300 mark, signalling very poor air quality conditions.
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According to the CPCB data till 8 am, Nehru Nagar recorded 358, Jahangirpuri was at 357, while Anand Vihar recorded a whopping AQI of 411. RK Puram was logged at 365, while Patparganj and Vivek Vihar recorded 366 each. Wazirpur recorded 375, Siri Fort 342, Rohini 397, while Okhla Phase 2 showed a slightly lower reading of 296. Chandni Chowk recorded 380, and Dwarka Sector 8 recorded 384.
On the AQI index, values ranging from 0-50 are categorised as “good,” 51-100 as “satisfactory,” 101-200 as “moderate,” 201
Cold wave conditions still prevailing
Just a day back, New Delhi witnessed a cold wave as the temperature dropped in the entire city. The temperature, as displayed by the IMD, shows that Ayanagar has recorded a lowest temperature of 2.9°C.
Cold wave conditions prevailed at different points, with the temperature hovering around the three-degree mark last night. Palam recorded a temperature of 3.0°C, which proved to be the lowest night in years.
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What the weather stations recorded
The minimum temperature at Safdarjung was 4.8°C late on Sunday night, although it is expected to dip further to around 3°C tonight. The minimum temperature logged by the Ridge weather station was 3.7°C, its maximum temperature reading reaching 18.8°C.
Cold wave conditions and dense fog persist; a difficult combination of falling temperatures and hazardous air quality continues to beset Delhi, affecting the daily routine across the metropolis.
