Delhi's Air Quality Remains In 'Poor' Category

AQI Recorded At 240!

Ahead of Upcoming festival of Diwali, burning of firecrackers may create a polluted environment, and the arrival of winter season creates a more choked environment in the city. 

Delhi’s air quality remained in the poor category on Tuesday morning as a mainly clear sky was expected throughout the day with a minimum temperature of 18 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 32 degrees Celsius.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the hourly air quality index (AQI) was 245 at 7am on Tuesday. The average 24-hour AQI was 237 on Monday in the poor category.

Air pollution was the worst in Delhi among nine others monitored on the CPCB’s website. Patna had the second worst air quality with an AQI of 150. The AQI in Bengaluru was the best at 45.

The government’s monitoring agency System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research said coarse particles (size > 2.5 micrometer) contributed ~ 52% to PM10. “For the next 3 days ...peak wind speed is likely to be ~ 4-12 km/h causing moderate dispersion and AQI is likely to be within ‘Poor’ due to prevailing dry weather. Moderate temperature (~ 31-32 deg C) and mixing layer height (~ 1.0 – 1.5 km) maintains moderate ventilation.”

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’. The AQI in the poor category leads to breathing discomfort among most people on prolonged exposure.