Air quality worsens in Delhi; political row erupts over monitoring stations

The air quality in New Delhi slightly worsened on Saturday morning, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 197 at 8:30 am, falling under the 'moderate' category.

CPCB data confirms moderate air quality

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data shows that Delhi’s air quality is 'moderate' to 'very poor' across different parts of the city.

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The AQI system classifies air quality as 'moderate' when readings are 101 to 200, as people with respiratory and lung problems experience discomfort while the air pollution increases, ANI reported.

Pollution levels vary across key areas

The national capital experienced different air quality levels across various regions. Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 265, which falls in the ‘poor’ category. RK Puram also reported 'poor' air quality, with an AQI of 247. IGI Airport Terminal 3 measured an AQI of 176, which stays within the 'moderate' category.

The AQI scale classifies air quality into six categories. A reading between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 is ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 is ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 is ‘poor’, 301 to 400 is ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 is ‘severe’.

Friday’s pollution hotspots across Delhi

The Delhi pollution assessment showed high pollution levels across multiple locations on Friday.

The AQI of the previous day in Mundka was 230, Shadipur 248, Nehru Nagar 207, Rohini 221, Bawana 220, Jahangirpuri 245, Wazirpur 207, Ashok Vihar 201, Narela 215, and Vivek Vihar 204.

The assessment showed that these locations primarily belonged to the 'poor' air quality category. Some locations showed improved air quality compared to others. Pusa registered 142, Sirifort showed 218, Chandani Chowk recorded 176, Sri Aurobindo Marg 123, Lodhi Road 135, Major Dhyan Chand Stadium 142, Mandir Marg 141, IIT Delhi 144, Dwarka Sector 8 190, and IGI Airport 141.

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Current day's AQI levels in different areas

The moderate air quality range included all three locations that Sri Aurobindo Marg recorded 159, IIT Delhi 158, and Lodhi Road 164. The locations of Mundka at 275, Sirifort 277, Bawana 263, Wazirpur 259, Pusa 257, Nehru Nagar 249, Jahangirpuri 246, Rohini 238, Shadipur 236 and Narela 240 and Ashok Vihar at 229 showed continued poor air quality conditions on Saturday.

Political debate over monitoring stations

The political debate has developed due to the declining air quality conditions. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) raised concerns about the reliability of Delhi’s pollution data. The party objected to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s decision to install six new AQI monitoring stations in greener, more open areas of the city.

Saurabh Bharadwaj, the AAP Delhi State President, claimed that the government initiative aimed to decrease air pollution but actually created fake reductions in air quality index measurements. He claimed that shifting monitoring stations to greener zones could create a false impression of improvement without taking strong action to reduce pollution sources.