Thick smog blankets Delhi-NCR as AQI remains under 'very poor' category

Noida (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 21 (ANI): As Delhi continues to battle with deteriorating air quality, several parts of the National Capital region, including parts of Noida, woke up to a blanket

of toxic smog on Friday morning. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), several areas in Noida experienced severe air quality, with Noida Sector 116 recording an AQI of 427 and Noida Sector 125 registering an AQI of 438 at 9 am. Delhi’s air quality improved slightly on Friday morning, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 370 at 8 am, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The city had recorded an AQI of 391 at 4 pm on November 20. Despite the slight improvement, the city’s air quality continued to remain in the ‘ very poor’ category. According to CPCB data, IGI Airport T3 recorded an AQI of 307, while ITO recorded 378. The Air Quality Index at Punjabi Bagh stood at 379. Other areas, such as Najafgarh (350), North Campus DU (385), Aya Nagar (340), and CRRI Mathura Road (370), also continued to experience very poor air quality. However, air quality in some parts of the National Capital was in the ‘severe’ category. Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 418, while Ashok Vihar reported 411. Rohini and RK Puram registered an AQI of 424 and 401, respectively. According to AQI categorisation, 0-50 is ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’.Areas such as India Gate, Akshardham and Kartavya Path were engulfed in dense smog on Friday morning. However, the many cities in Uttar Pradesh showed slight variations in air quality across different areas, with Jhansi recording a ‘satisfactory’ air quality index (AQI) of 70, while Meerut reported a severe AQI in the range of 401-500, and Varanasi recorded a moderate air quality in the range of 101-200. (ANI)