New Delhi: Delhi woke up to dense smog on Monday, with the city’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 402, placing it in the ‘severe’ category, official data showed.
According to monitoring stations, air quality was ‘severe’ at 22 locations, ‘very poor’ at 14 stations and ‘poor’ at one. Vivek Vihar in east Delhi recorded the highest AQI at 456, while data from three stations was unavailable.
Under Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) standards, an AQI between 401 and 500 is classified as ‘severe’.
The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) said Delhi’s air quality is expected to remain in the ‘very poor’ category over the next three days, with conditions likely to fluctuate between ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ over the following six days.
Dense fog in isolated areas affected vehicular movement during the morning hours. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast maximum temperatures between 22°C and 24°C, and minimum temperatures ranging from 7°C to 9°C.
IMD said minimum temperatures will remain near normal, while maximum temperatures are expected to stay above normal. Light northwesterly winds below 15 kmph are likely during the day, gradually weakening later.
