Days after pollution curbs were removed…
On Friday, 24 November 2023, Air quality in the National Capital turned “severe” again with a drop in temperatures and slow wind speed at night allowing accumulation of pollutants.
The city AQI stood at 401 at 8 am.
Delhi has been observing a gradual increase in AQI levels after a marginal improvement on Sunday.
The last 24-hour average AQI, recorded at 4 pm on a daily basis, was 390 on Thursday, 394 on Wednesday, 365 on Tuesday, 348 on Monday, and 301 on Sunday.
On Saturday, the increase in AQI levels came after the Centre removed curbs, including a ban on construction work related to linear projects and the entry of polluting trucks in Delhi, following a drop in pollution levels due to a favorable wind speed and direction.
Neighbouring Ghaziabad (386), Gurugram (321), Greater Noida (345), Noida (344) and Faridabad (410) also recorded "very poor" to "severe" air quality.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, 401 and 450 “severe” and above 450 “severe-plus”.
According to the air quality early warning system developed by the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, pollution levels are likely to oscillate in the "very poor" to "severe" categories in the next five to six days.
Edited By: Arusha Farooq
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