Delhi’s Air Quality Nears ‘Severe’ Category as AQI Climbs to 349
Representing image via Google image
New Delhi: Delhi’s air quality continued to deteriorate on Friday, recording an AQI of 349 in the very poor category. The AQI stood at 305 on Thursday and 259 on Wednesday, indicating a steady decline. Forecasts suggest the pollution level may worsen further and enter the severe category, above 400, by Sunday.
According to Central Pollution Control Board data, eight of Delhi’s 39 monitoring stations crossed the 400 mark. Jahangirpuri recorded the highest AQI at 438, followed by Wazirpur at 425, Rohini at 423 and Anand Vihar at 420.
Officials said light winds are preventing pollutant dispersal, while two feeble western disturbances may keep wind speeds low. The Air Quality Early Warning System indicated the city will remain in the very poor range on Saturday and slip into severe on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 8°C and a maximum of 26.6°C on Friday. Moderate fog is expected from Saturday to Monday. The IMD said minimum temperatures may rise to 10–12°C over the weekend, with maximum temperatures likely to remain between 23–25°C.