Delhi air still 'very poor'; AQI likely to improve owing to high wind speed

Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) was 353 at 8 am, according to SAFAR

Delhi's air remained in the 'very poor' category on Friday morning, making the national capital the world's second most polluted city. 

The national capital's Air Quality Index (AQI) was 353 at 8 am, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences' air quality forecast agency SAFAR. Readings below 50 are considered safe, 51 and 100 is 'satisfactory' and anything above 300 is considered hazardous or 'severe'.

According to SAFAR, Delhi's AQI is expected to improve as "high wind speed is likely from Jan 21 resulting in dilution of pollutants and improvement of AQI."

Delhi was this morning the world's second most polluted city in the world with an AQI of 218, according to IQAir.

This came as the Union Environment Ministry said it will rank states based on the time taken in granting environmental clearances to developmental projects to encourage "transparency, efficiency, and accountability".

An official memorandum said the "rating system will encourage transparency, efficiency and accountability".

India is failing in efforts to improve its toxic air quality, with the number of smog-plagued cities increasing since the launch of a national program to tackle the issue, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

A total of 132 cities now have pollution levels deemed below national standards, from 102 cities when the National Clean Air Programme began in 2019, according to a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.