Delhi Chokes as Air Quality Dips to ‘Severe’ Levels; AQI Touches 391

Delhi's air quality remained poor on Sunday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) hitting 391, as reported by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). A thin smog layer covered the city, coinciding with a temperature drop to 11 degrees Celsius, signalling winter's arrival.

>Most areas in Delhi recorded AQ levels in the 'severe' category. Bawana had the highest at 436, while Burari, Ashok Vihar, Alipur, and Anand Vihar registered 430, 416, 414, and 416 respectively. This situation mirrored Saturday's conditions when pollution levels exceeded 400 in several locations.

Air Quality Across NCR

Noida's AQI was close to 'severe' at 392. Greater Noida recorded an AQI of 365. Ghaziabad also fell into the red zone with an AQI of 387. Gurugram fared slightly better with an AQI of 254 but remained in the 'poor' category.

The Air Quality Early Warning System predicts that Delhi's air quality will stay in the 'very poor' range for the coming days. Since Diwali, Delhi has consistently faced air quality issues ranging from 'poor' to 'very poor', occasionally reaching 'severe'.

Temperature Drop in Delhi

The weather department noted that Delhi's minimum temperature over the past day was 11 degrees Celsius, which is 3.3 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature also dipped by 2.3 degrees below normal.

Officials attributed this chill to cold winds entering Delhi after fresh snowfall in the western Himalayas. Clear night skies further enhanced radiational cooling.

CPCB Classification

The CPCB classifies AQI levels as follows: "good" (0-50), "satisfactory" (51-100), "moderate" (101-200), "poor" (201-300), "very poor" (301-400), and "severe" (401-500).

The Met department forecasts that Sunday's maximum and minimum temperatures will be around 28 and 11 degrees Celsius respectively.