Pollution continues to affect the air quality in Delhi. A scene from the India Gate on Friday. (ANI)With the rise of pollutants in the atmosphere, the air quality in Delhi and adjoining areas worsened further on Friday. According to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee data, Particulate Matter 2.5 was at 417 in RK Puram, in the ‘hazardous’ category of Air Quality Index, PM 2.5 levels in ITO were recorded to be in the ‘very poor’ category at 356.
The AQI in Alipur was reported to be in the ‘severe’ category at 442, in Gurugram Sector 51 it was in the ‘very poor’ category at 301.
However, air quality in Delhi over the past 14 days has been better than 10 NCR cities and towns in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.
The daily average air quality index (AQI) data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), analysed by The Indian Express, shows the 14-day average AQI of Delhi was 256 as of Thursday. This was much lower than the average AQIs of UP’s Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar and Greater Noida, which were in the range of 271-305; Haryana’s Ballabhgarh, Faridabad, Jind and Panipat, in the range of 261-273; and Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi, which was 300. At 242, only Gurgaon’s 14-day average AQI was lower than Delhi’s.
The number of ‘very poor’ air days — AQI between 300 and 400 — was also higher in 10 NCR towns as compared to Delhi, which had just 1 in the past 14 days. UP’s Baghpat had seven ‘very poor’ air days, highest among 10 NCR towns analysed. Rajasthan’s Bhiwadi was the second highest with six such days, followed by Panipat and Muzaffarnagar, with five each.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For all the latest Delhi News, download Indian Express App.