NEW DELHI: Delhi’s air pollution levels stayed in the ‘very poor’ category despite showing a declining trend. On Thursday (December 26), the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 341 at 8 am. It is expected to improve further due to favourable weather conditions.
Of the 38 monitoring stations that recorded air quality data in the national capital, 32 reported the AQI in the “very poor” category, according to the CPCB.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a thunderstorm accompanied by rain on Friday and Saturday, and issued a “yellow alert”, predicting very dense fog, on Sunday.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 8.2 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, the IMD said. The maximum temperature hovered around 23 degrees Celsius, it added.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI levels in different parts of Delhi as of 6 am today were as follows: Vivek Vihar (372), Okhla Phase 2 (369), Rohini (377), ITO (340), Ashok Vihar (362), Wazirpur (366), Shadipur (319), Jahangirpuri (375), Narela (325), DTU (297), R.K. Puram (391), Anand Vihar (370), Pusa (358), and Punjabi Bagh (363).
Earlier, stage IV restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) were lifted. These included a ban on all construction activities, the entry of non-essential polluting trucks into Delhi, and mandatory shifting of classes, except for years 10 and 12, to hybrid mode.
Meanwhile, low visibility procedures are currently being implemented at Delhi Airport, but all flights are operating as scheduled, according to an official advisory issued on Thursday. In a post on social media platform X, Delhi Airport stated, “Low Visibility Procedures are in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations are presently normal.”
The air quality index in the NCR improved and remained mostly in the ‘moderate’ category. In Haryana’s Gurugram, the AQI was in the ‘poor’ category, recorded at 249. In Rohtak, the AQI was 187.