Delhi's air quality improves to 'moderate' category, AQI drops to 162

Delhi's air quality improved to the 'moderate' category on Thursday after remaining 'poor' for the past few days. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was 162 at 7 am on March 13, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Earlier, IQAir's World Air Quality Index report was released which stated that Delhi continued to be the most polluted capital in the world in 2024.    

AQI across Delhi-NCR

Air quality across Delhi-NCR remained in the 'poor' or 'moderate' category. The averge AQI of Delhi for past 24 hours was at 228, at 4 pm on March 12. While Haryana's Gurugram had an AQI of 259. Noida and Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh reported AQIs of 149 and 136, respectively. Ghaziabad's AQI improved to 'poor' levels and was recorded to be 282. 

AQI classification 

The CPCB classifies air quality into the following categories:  0–50 (good)  51–100 (satisfactory)  101–200 (moderate)  201–300 (poor)  301–400 (very poor)  401–500 (severe) 

Delhi weather updates

Delhi residents woke up to clear skies on Thursday morning. Temperatures in Delhi-NCR have risen sharply, reaching between 29 and 34 degrees Celsius. 

    The IMD has predicted possibility of cloudy skies with light rain or drizzle towards night. The day's forecast indicates a minimum and maximum temperature of 17 degrees Celsius and 34 degrees Celsius, respectively. The relative humidity is 17 per cent and the wind speed is 17 kmph. 

Top polluted cities in India

According to the World Air Quality Index Report 2024, India has the most cities with the worst air quality. The list includes Byrnihat, Delhi, Mullanpur (Punjab), Faridabad, Loni, New Delhi, Gurugram, Ganganagar, Greater Noida, Bhiwadi, Muzaffarnagar, Hanumangarh, and Noida. These cities consistently face pollution levels that exceed safe limits, posing severe health risks for residents.