Thick smog engulfs national capital, air quality remains ‘very poor’

The national capital's Air Quality Index was recorded at 369 at 9 am, a significant rise from 290 on Saturday

New Delhi: Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday with thick smog enveloping the city in the morning.

The national capital’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 369 at 9 am, a significant rise from 290 on Saturday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. Some monitoring stations recorded ‘severe’ air quality with readings exceeding 400.

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Data from the CPCB’s Sameer app, which provides hourly AQI updates, showed that out of 38 monitoring stations, eight — Anand Vihar, Wazirpur, Rohini, Punjabi Bagh, Nehru Marg, Mundka, Jahangirpuri and Ashok Vihar — recorded readings above 400.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is ‘good,’ 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory,’ 101 and 200 ‘moderate,’ 201 and 300 ‘poor,’ 301 and 400 ‘very poor,’ and 401-500 ‘severe.’ Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 16.5 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The humidity levels stood at 94 per cent at 8.30 am.

The IMD has forecast mainly clear skies during the day, with the maximum temperature expected to settle around 34 degrees Celsius.