NEW DELHI: The capital’s air quality deteriorated once again on Sunday, with 17 monitoring stations recording ‘severe’ pollution levels as a sharp drop in wind speed curbed pollutant dispersion, official data showed.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded a 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 366 on Sunday, a rise from 303 the previous day. The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) indicated that winds from the northwest fell below 8kmph during the evening and night.
The city’s ventilation index remained under the 6,000 m²/s threshold, conditions that are unfavourable for dispersing emissions. AQEWS warned that the situation is likely to persist through November 4.
Wazirpur recorded the highest AQI at 416, followed by Burari Crossing at 403. 20 stations in the city reported ‘very poor’ air with an AQI above 300, according to the CPCB’s Sameer app.
The agency’s AQI scale labels 0–50 as ‘good’, 51–100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 as ‘moderate’, 201–300 as ‘poor’, 301–400 as ‘very poor’ and 401–500 as ‘severe’.
Meteorological factors added to the problem, said experts. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) noted a minimum temperature of 16.8°C, 1.5 notches above the season’s average, and a maximum of 30.7°C, near the seasonal average on Sunday.