Delhi continues to struggle with hazardous air pollution, with air quality remaining in the 'very poor' category across several areas on Wednesday morning, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
At 7:00 am, the AQI in Delhi’s RK Puram was recorded at 380, while Anand Vihar and Ashok Vihar both stood at 355. Other severely affected locations included Bawana (376), Dwarka Sector 8 (353), ITO (362), and Nehru Nagar, which reported one of the highest levels at 394.
In Chandni Chowk, the AQI remained 'very poor' at 332, while around Akshardham, it reached 360, also falling in the 'very poor' range.
Neighbouring Haryana is facing similar challenges. At 9:00 am, Dharuhera in Rewari district recorded an AQI of 382. Other areas in the 'very poor' category included Narnaul (367), Jind (367), Charkhi Dadri (362), Rohtak (358), Yamunanagar (347), Fatehabad (320), and Ballabhgarh (318).
Several cities in Haryana fell into the 'poor' category, including Bahadurgarh (272), Gurugram (290), Karnal (243), Bhiwani (298), Faridabad (218), Kaithal (237), Kurukshetra (226), and Sonipat (285).
In Punjab, air quality was relatively better but still concerning. Amritsar recorded a 'poor' AQI of 253, followed by Jalandhar (261), Ludhiana (234), and Patiala (207).
Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, recorded an AQI of 169, placing it in the "moderate" range but still below healthy air quality standards.
According to the CPCB classification, AQI values are categorized as follows: 0–50 (good), 51–100 (satisfactory), 101–200 (moderate), 201–300 (poor), 301–400 (very poor), 401–450 (severe), and above 450 (severe plus).
(With inputs from ANI, PTI)