Delhi air quality improves further but AQI still 'poor' in most areas

Overall AQI improved to 226, with 25 monitoring stations in the 'poor' category and 14 'moderate'; none recorded 'very poor' air quality, unlike the previous day when 18 stations fell in that category

Delhi’s air quality improved further on Friday morning but continued to remain in the ‘poor’ category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

 

The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 226 at 8 am, improving from Thursday’s reading of 241. Of the monitoring stations across the capital, 25 were in the ‘poor’ category, while 14 recorded ‘moderate’ air quality. Notably, none of the stations fell in the ‘very poor’ category, unlike the previous day when 18 locations had reported very poor air quality.

 

Despite the improvement, several parts of the national capital remained under a thin layer of fog and smog during the morning hours, indicating that pollution levels continue to pose health concerns.

 

 

On Thursday, multiple areas had recorded ‘very poor’ air quality, including Anand Vihar (332), Bawana (306), Ashok Vihar (320), Dwarka Sector 8 (328), RK Puram (314), Rohini (322) and Patparganj (307). 

 

On Friday morning, Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 261, remaining in the ‘poor’ category.

 

Areas with worst AQI:

• Pusa: 290
• Jahangirpuri: 278
• Shadipur: 277
• Nehru Nagar: 275
• Dwarka-Sector 8: 273
• R K Puram: 271

Aya Nagar recorded the best AQI at 139.

 

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

 

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi’s minimum temperature was recorded at 9.4 degrees Celsius, marking a rise of 1–2 degrees Celsius over the past 24 hours, while no significant change was observed in the maximum temperature.

 

The IMD has forecast foggy mornings and strong surface winds during the day. The city is likely to witness a partly cloudy sky, with surface winds blowing at speeds of 15–25 kmph. Shallow fog is expected during the morning hours, while maximum temperature is expected to hover between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius.