New Delhi: Delhiites woke up to a thick blanket of smog on Thursday morning even as the air quality improved marginally while air pollution levels are still hovering in the severe zone in the neighbouring cities of Ghaziabad and Greater Noida. The city’s air quality index (AQI) at 7 AM was recorded at 345, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The 24-hour average AQI on Wednesday 375, while it was 367 on Tuesday.
Ghaziabad and Greater Noida recorded AQIs above 400 throughout this week.
Notably, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered in ‘good’ category, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
The IMD has predicted fog on December 4 and 5 and the minimum temperature is expected to go up to 10 to 11 degrees Celsius in the upcoming days. The minimum temperature was 8.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
This season, temperatures have remained 2-3 degrees Celsius below normal in the absence of a cloud cover on most days, according to IMD officials.
The central government’s Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi said the air quality is likely to remain in the upper end of the ‘very poor’ category due to unfavourable meteorological conditions.
There is a possibility of the air quality reaching the “severe” category between December 4 and December 7, it said.