Delhi's air quality remains in 'moderate' category, AQI drops to 113

Delhi's air quality remained in the 'moderate' category on Wednesday, but showed a slight improvement from Monday. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 113 at 7 am, compared to 153 at the same time on Monday. The city's 24-hour average AQI stood at 148 at 4 pm. 

AQI across Delhi-NCR

Air quality has improved across Delhi-NCR due to rainfall over the past few days. In neighbouring cities, Gurugram recorded an AQI of 226, placing it in the 'poor' category, while Noida and Ghaziabad reported AQI levels of 146 and 232, respectively. 

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) 

Factors behind the improvement

Favourable weather conditions, including strong winds and light rain, have helped disperse pollutants, leading to better air quality across the region. The AQI is expected to remain in the 'moderate' category for the coming week as meteorological conditions continue to support pollutant dispersion.  Read: Delhi Weather Today  

Revocation of Grap Stage-I restrictions

With pollution levels easing, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Sub-Committee revoked Stage-I restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) across the National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday. This decision was influenced by improved weather, higher mixing heights and strong surface winds. 

Delhi's weather update

 

Delhi residents woke up to chilly cold winds on Wednesday morning with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting snowfall in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir. As a result, Delhi-NCR is experiencing a shift in weather, with mild cold and potentially foggy mornings. The minimum temperature is expected to drop to 11 degrees Celsius, while the maximum may reach 26 degrees Celsius, with strong surface winds and warm weather predicted for the day.