A biting cold wave tightened its grip on the national capital on Tuesday as minimum temperatures fell to around 4 degrees Celsius, while dense fog lingered and air quality remained firmly in the “very poor” category, officials said.
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 337 at 8 am, placing it in the “very poor” bracket.
Several monitoring stations across the city recorded readings well above 300, with Anand Vihar at 411, Chandni Chowk at 380, Wazirpur at 375, Rohini at 397 and Dwarka Sector 8 at 384.
Other areas including Nehru Nagar, Jahangirpuri, RK Puram, Patparganj, Vivek Vihar and Siri Fort also reported AQI levels ranging between 340 and 370, indicating widespread pollution across the capital.
The cold conditions followed an intense chill a day earlier, when several parts of Delhi recorded their lowest temperatures of the season. Ayanagar registered a minimum of 2.9 degrees Celsius, the lowest in the city, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Palam recorded 3.0 degrees Celsius, its coldest night in several years.
IMD officials said cold wave conditions prevailed across parts of the city on Sunday night and similar weather is likely to continue. Authorities have advised residents to take precautions against prolonged exposure to cold and polluted air as winter conditions persist.