Delhi air quality persists in ‘poor’ category; AQI stands at 291

The air quality in Delhi continues to remain in the ‘poor’ category despite a slight improvement in the pollution levels. The national capital witnessed ‘poor’ air quality for the second straight day on Thursday morning with the overall air quality index (AQI) remaining at 291, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data recorded at 7:30 am.

The areas like DTU reported AQI 282, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at 271, Mandir Marg at 271, Najafgarh at 259, New Moti Bagh at 294, Okhla at 280, Patparganj at 279, Pusa Road at 282, and Shadipur at 284, all falling into the ‘poor’ category.

However, several areas in the city still grapple with ‘very poor’ air quality. Anand Vihar registered an AQI 349, Ashok Vihar at 324, Dwarka at 301, ITO at 314, Mundka at 315, Rohini at 308, and R K Puram at 303, indicating air quality dipping into the ‘very poor’ category.

While the majority of the areas around the city witnessed clear skies in the morning, some places like ITO and Raj Ghat witnessed a layer of haze.

Additionally, the National Capital Regions (NCR) recorded ‘poor’ air quality with AQI remaining at 240 in Noida while Greater Noida reported AQI at 246. In Ghaziabad, AQI stood at 252, Faridabad at 232, and Gurugram at 222, on Thursday morning.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature in the city on Thursday will be 9.2 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature is predicted to be 26.4 degrees Celsius.

Besides, IMD has also predicted clear skies with shallow fog in the morning till December 9 for the national capital, while there will be no rain till December 11.

Meanwhile, a circular issued on Wednesday by the Directorate of Education stated that the winter vacations for the schools in Delhi have been reduced from 15 to 6 days. The winter break will now begin on January 1 and end on January 6, 2024. The winter holidays for Delhi schools have been reduced as a portion of the break was given from November 9 to 18, due to rising pollution levels in the city.