Delhi’s air turns ‘very poor’ as haze and fog blanket city; AQI hits ‘severe’ levels in several areas

NEW DELHI: A thick blanket of haze and fog descended over Delhi on Thursday morning, trapping pollutants close to the ground and pushing city’s air quality into the ‘very poor’ category after several days of being merely ‘poor’.According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi recorded an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 357, sharply up from 279 a day earlier.Visibility plummeted across several parts of the city as calm winds and fog prevented pollutants from dispersing. The Air Quality Early Warning System noted that Delhi’s ventilation index — an indicator of how well the atmosphere can flush out pollutants — remained below the favourable mark of 6,000 m²/s.At 7.30am, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported visibility of 1,000 metres at Palam and 800 metres at Safdarjung, both under calm wind conditions.Prominent areas including Akshardham, Anand Vihar, and Vivek Vihar reported ‘severe’ air quality levels, with AQI readings of 409, 415, and 408, respectively. A total of 33 monitoring stations across the city recorded ‘very poor’ air quality with readings above 300, CPCB data showed.For reference, an AQI between 0-50 is ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’.The minimum temperature settled at 20.1°C, four notches above normal, while humidity stood at 90% at 8.30 am. The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 30°C, with shallow fog expected again in the evening, the IMD added.(With agency inputs)