The air quality in New Delhi worsened on Sunday, slipping into the ‘severe’ category, with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 413 compared to 303 recorded the day before.
According to the data
of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI recorded at several monitoring stations of Delhi was ‘very poor’ while some stations also recorded ‘severe’ air quality.
The AQI at the AIIMS and the surrounding areas is recorded at 421 in the ‘Severe’ category as per the CPCB. Anand Vihar was 392, Alipur 381, Ashok Vihar 404, Burari Crossing 412, Chandani Chowk 414, Dwarka Sector-8 407, ITO 312, Jahangirpuri 402, Mandir Marg 376, Mundka 404, Najafgarh 373, Narela 388, Okhla Phase-2 382, Patparganj 378, Punjabi Bagh 403, RK Puram 421, Rohini 415 and Sirifort 403.
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 surge comes alongside a steep jump in stubble-burning incidents in Punjab, which logged 442 farm fires on Saturday, the highest single-day tally this season and the biggest reported by any state since mid-September, according to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperature on Saturday was recorded at 30.5 degrees Celsius, three notches below the seasonal average, while the minimum settled at 19.4 degrees Celsius, 3.3 notches above normal. The humidity level stood at 73 per cent at 5:30 pm.
