The air quality in Delhi has dropped to the ‘very poor’ category. The capital city recorded a 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 356. This is a significant drop in air quality compared to the past two days when the AQI had slightly improved.
According to a report in India Today, on Saturday at 4 pm, the city recorded an AQI of 255. However, the current readings show that several areas in Delhi have ‘severe’ pollution levels which is an AQI above 400. This morning, AQI readings across Delhi at various monitoring stations registered alarming levels with Alipur at 403, Anand Vihar at 406, Bawana at 404, Jahangirpuri at 414, Nehru Nagar at 408, Sonia Vihar at 401, and Vivek Vihar at 404.
In other notable areas, AQI readings remained significantly elevated with ITO reporting an AQI of 367, India Gate at 374 and DU North Campus reporting an AQI of 370. PWD vehicles in the city are spraying water in parts of the national capital to reduce dust levels. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution is “contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.
” AQI between 0-50 is considered “good”, 51-100 is “satisfactory”, 101-200 is “moderate”, 201-300 is “poor”, 301-400 is “very poor”, 401-500 is “severe” and above 500 is a “severe plus”. Air quality tends to impact several aspects of your health including lungs, heart.
