Delhi air quality shows marginal improvement, remains in ‘very poor’ category with AQI 305

Delhi’s air quality remains in the ‘very poor’ range with AQI at 305, showing a slight improvement from the previous day as temperatures continued in single digits amid the ongoing cold spell.

Mundka recorded the highest AQI at 365, according to CPCB data at 7 am. Of the 39 monitoring stations in Delhi, 26 reported air quality in the very poor range, while 13 recorded poor levels. Very poor readings were observed at RK Puram (326), Punjabi Bagh (320), Chandni Chowk (308), Rohini (341), Vivek Vihar (304), Bawana (352), Sirifort (318), Wazirpur (337), Anand Vihar (327), Ashok Vihar (325), and Sonia Vihar (320). Poor levels were noted at Alipur (282), NSIT Dwarka (239), Mandir Marg (212), IGI Airport (227), and Aya Nagar (263), among others.

CPCB classifies AQI 301-400 as ‘very poor’ and 201-300 as ‘poor’. Delhi’s AQI has fluctuated sharply this week: 279 on Sunday, 304 on Monday, 372 on Tuesday, 342 on Wednesday, 304 on Thursday, and 327 on Friday.

Local transport contributed the most to air pollution at 14.8%, followed by industries in Delhi and nearby areas (7.3%), residential sources (3.6%), and construction (2%). Among neighbouring NCR districts, Jhajjar contributed 13.9% and Rohtak 5.2%.

Weather Update: The India Meteorological Department forecast a minimum of 9°C and a maximum of 24°C on Sunday with partly cloudy skies and shallow morning fog. Saturday saw a maximum of 24.6°C (0.7°C below normal) and a minimum of 6.8°C (2.7°C below normal), with evening humidity at 56% and morning humidity at 95%.