Delhi Air Quality Stays 'Very Poor' At 384, Key Areas Breach 400 Mark

Delhiites woke up to toxic air on Friday as the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 384, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The air quality remained in the ‘severe’ range for several areas, with Mundka recording the highest pollution level in the city with an AQI of 436, followed closely by Rohini at 432. Anand Vihar also witnessed a layer of toxic smog blankets with AQI at 408 and Jahangirpuri at 420.

Meanwhile, Noida reported an AQI of 404, falling into the ‘severe’ category, while Greater Noida and Ghaziabad recorded ‘very poor’ air quality with AQI of 377 and 350, respectively.

19 out of 39 stations in Delhi reported AQI of over 400 at 8:00 am, according

to CPCB. Punjabi Bagh recorded AQI of 417, RK Puram at 418, Wazirpur at 416 and Narela at 407. Other prominent areas, including Chandni Chowk (408), Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (401), and Burari Crossing (403), also fell under the ‘severe’ category.

According to CPCB standards, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’.

The worsening air quality seemed to degrade, with no sign of relief visible. Delhi on Thursday, recorded an AQI of 377. The 24-hour average AQI settled at 377 on Thursday, compared to 327 on Wednesday, 352 on Tuesday and 382 on Monday.

As per the data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology’s Decision Support System, vehicular emissions remained the largest contributor to Delhi’s pollution on Thursday at 19.5 per cent. Ghaziabad contributed 8.2 per cent, Baghpat 7.3 per cent, while stubble burning accounted for 0.7 per cent.

Meanwhile, schools across Delhi fully resumed physical classes on Thursday after the Commission for Air Quality Management lifted the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage-3 restrictions.