Delhi's air quality recorded a marginal improvement on Wednesday as the Air Quality Index fell to 269 at 6 am according to the Sameer App. Despite the fall, the national capital remained wrapped in a layer of toxic smog, raising concerns over health and visibility. Of the city's monitoring stations, 28 fell into the "poor" category-showing a notable improvement-while 9 stations continued to register readings in the "very poor" range.
Key areas still in the 'Very Poor' zone
Certain areas of this city experienced much worse levels of pollution than others.
NSIT, Dwarka, and Bawana saw the worst air quality on Wednesday, with AQI readings of 324 and 319, respectively. Only three locations recorded “moderate” air quality: Aya Nagar, IGI Airport T3, and Mandir Marg.
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The areas that recorded ‘very poor’ AQI include:
Bawana: 319
DTU: 302
Jahangirpuri: 314
Mundka: 313
Nehru Nagar: 313
NSIT, Dwarka: 324
Pusa: 302
Vivek Vihar: 306
Wazirpur: 306
The AQI scale categorises readings between 201-300 as “poor,” 301-400 as “very poor,” and above 400 as “severe.”
A day earlier, on Tuesday morning, Delhi’s overall AQI stood at 292 ‘poor’, with several pockets slipping into the “very poor” zone as Akshardham, Ghazipur and Anand Vihar all recorded a reading of 319.
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Weather conditions add to discomfort
While the air quality witnessed slight relief, the weather brought its own set of challenges. A cold wave gripped the capital on Wednesday, December 9, when the India Meteorological Department (IMD) cautioned about dense fog and a sharp dip in temperature.
The minimum temperature will plummet to 7 degrees Celsius, and this may make the morning and late evening quite unbearable. Delhi may witness the maximum temperature reach 25 degrees Celsius, while the minimum would hover around 7 degrees Celsius, resulting in cold conditions throughout the city, said the IMD.
