Delhi's air quality remains in 'moderate' category, Grap-I curbs lifted

Delhi's air quality remained in the 'moderate' category on Tuesday, but showed a slight improvement from Monday. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 153 at 7 am, compared to 119 at the same time on Monday. The city's 24-hour average AQI stood at 156 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 150, placing it in the 'moderate' category, while Noida and Ghaziabad reported AQI levels of 185 and 196, 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.

 

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 

The minimum temperature is expected to drop to 14 degrees Celsius, while the maximum may reach 27 degrees Celsius, with strong surface winds and warm weather predicted for the day, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The relative humidity is 22 per cent with a wind speed of 22 km/hr.