Delhi air quality dips to 'very poor' as IMD issues cold wave alert

Delhi's air quality worsened to the 'very poor' category as temperatures fell to near-freezing levels, with the IMD issuing a cold wave alert and pollution levels crossing 300 at several monitoring st

Air quality in Delhi dipped to 'very poor' level on Tuesday morning as temperatures dropped to 4 degrees Celsius in the national capital. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s overall air quality index (AQI) stood at 337 as of 8 am.

 

Several areas recorded AQI levels above 300. Nehru Nagar logged an AQI of 358, Jahangirpuri 357, Anand Vihar 411, RK Puram 365 and Patparganj 366. Wazirpur recorded 375, Vivek Vihar 366, Siri Fort 342, Rohini 397, Okhla Phase 2 296, Chandni Chowk 380 and Dwarka Sector 8 384, according to CPCB data.

 

As per AQI classification, readings between 0–50 are ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’ and 401–500 ‘severe’.

 

The Decision Support System identified transport emissions as a key contributor, accounting for 10.84 per cent of pollution levels. Industries in Delhi and neighbouring areas contributed 11 per cent, residential sources 6 per cent, and road dust 0.95 per cent.

 

To promote clean mobility, the Delhi government is planning to install around 7,000 new electric vehicle charging stations by the end of the year, reported news agency PTI. The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to reduce vehicular emissions, a major driver of air pollution in the capital.

 

Cold wave in Delhi

 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Delhi-NCR, forecasting cold wave conditions at a few places across the region on Tuesday. In a bulletin released on Monday, the IMD said minimum temperatures are likely to return to normal after January 15.

 

For Tuesday, the IMD also predicted shallow to moderate fog during morning hours at several locations in Delhi. Minimum temperatures are expected to remain between 3 and 5 degrees Celsius.

 

A day earlier, Delhi witnessed an intense cold spell, with Ayanagar recording the lowest minimum temperature at 2.9 degrees Celsius, IMD data showed. Palam reported a minimum temperature of 3.0 degrees Celsius, the lowest in several years.