Delhi Air Quality Crisis: 5 Monitoring Stations Record 'Very Poor' AQI Exceeding 300

Delhi's air monitoring network reveals alarming pollution levels with five stations recording 'very poor' air quality on Wednesday, all exceeding an AQI of 300.

New Delhi:

Five monitoring stations across Delhi registered air quality in the 'very poor' category on Wednesday, with Air Quality Index (AQI) readings surpassing the concerning threshold of 300.

Out of Delhi's 40 air quality monitoring stations, data was accessible from 38 locations.

Among these monitored sites, Anand Vihar reported the most severe conditions with an AQI of 345, while other critical areas included DU North Campus (307), CRRI Mathura Road (307), Dwarka Sector 8 (314), and Wazirpur (325), according to official measurements.

The remaining stations showed a mixed picture, with 20 monitoring points falling in the 'poor' category and 13 stations registering 'moderate' air quality levels on Wednesday.

Delhi's overall AQI stood at 201 on Tuesday, placing it in the 'poor' range. Transport-related emissions emerged as the primary pollution contributor, accounting for 19.8 percent of total emissions, as indicated by Decision Support System (DSS) data.

The Central Pollution Control Board classifies air quality using a specific scale: AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and readings between 401 and 500 are deemed 'severe'.

Weather conditions showed the capital's minimum temperature at 18.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, which is 1.3 degrees below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The IMD also reported relative humidity levels at 89 percent at 8:30 am.