Delhi air quality remains in 'very poor' category with AQI reading of 352

Delhi's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category on Monday with an AQI reading of 352, while four monitoring stations reported air quality levels in the 'severe' zone.

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded until 4 pm daily was reported at 352, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

On Sunday, the national capital recorded the 24-hour average AQI of 335, according to the CPCB.

Data from CPCB's Sameer app, which provides hourly AQI updates,showed that four out of the 38 monitoring stations on Monday reported AQI in the 'severe' category with readings above 400. These included Bawana, Jahangirpuri, Rohini, and Wazirpur.

Meanwhile, a thick layer of mist and smog blanketed the city during the morning and evening hours, with a high of 32.4 degrees Celsius, three degrees above normal. The minimum temperature was also three notches above the season's average, with a reading of 17.6 degrees Celsius at 9 am.

Humidity levels fluctuated between 96 per cent and 72 per cent during the day in the national capital, according to the India Meteorological Department.

The weather office has forecast moderate fog on Tuesday, with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to reach around 33 and 17 degrees Celsius, respectively.

AQI in the 0-50 range is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.