Delhi Air Quality Nears 'Poor' Category As Winter Approaches

As the winter chill starts settling in Delhi, the city is preparing for another seasonal surge in air pollution. On Saturday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 199, just below the ‘poor’ category. The city’s minimum temperature was recorded at 19.4 degrees Celsius, which is 1.6 notches below normal, while the maximum temperature settled at 30.3 degrees Celsius, 3.9 notches below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

At 4 pm, Delhi’s AQI was in the “moderate” category at 199. An AQI between 201 and 300 falls under the “poor” category.

The last time the national capital recorded a “poor” AQI was in June, as per the data.

Data from the Decision Support System (DSS) revealed that the transport sector remains the largest

contributor to Delhi’s pollution, accounting for 17.9 per cent of the total emissions.

On Saturday, satellite data detected stubble burning incidents: 14 in Punjab, one in Haryana, and 42 in the neighbouring UP-NCR region.

The IMD forecasts mainly clear skies for Sunday, with the minimum and maximum temperatures expected to hover around 19 and 31 degrees Celsius, respectively.

According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 to 100 “satisfactory”, 101 to 200 “moderate”, 201 to 300 “poor”, 301 to 400 “very poor”, and 401 to 500 “severe”.