Dense fog blankets Delhi as AQI nears ‘severe’ at 384

Dense fog reduced visibility across Delhi as air pollution worsened, with the city’s AQI touching 384, close to the ‘severe’ category. Authorities warned of further deterioration and enforced stricter pollution-control measures.

New Delhi: Visibility plunged across parts of Delhi on Saturday morning, with buildings and flyovers fading into a grey blur amid dense fog, as the capital’s AQI edged closer to the ‘severe’ category at 384.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies an AQI between 201 and 300 as ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.

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The lowest visibility up to 8.30 am was recorded at Safdarjung, where it dropped to 200 metres, followed by Palam at 350 metres, according to official data.

Several parts of the capital were enveloped in dense smog and fog during early morning hours, leading to poor visibility, a situation forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) a day earlier, officials said.

According to data from the CPCB, out of the 40 air quality monitoring stations across Delhi, 16 recorded air quality index (AQI) in the ‘severe’ zone, while 24 were ‘very poor’.
ITO was the worst at 437.

On Friday, Delhi’s AQI stood at 374, with 11 of the 40 monitoring stations in the ‘severe’ category and 29 in the ‘very poor’ range.

The AQI is likely to worsen over the next two days, with the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi forecasting that pollution levels may slip into ‘severe’ on Sunday and Monday, amid unfavourable meteorological conditions.

To mitigate the toxic pollution levels, a ban on non-Delhi private vehicles below BS-VI emission standards and enforcement of the ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ rule came into force on Thursday.

Under the rule, no vehicle can get a refill at any fuel pump without a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate.