Toxic Smog Returns: Delhi records widespread ‘very poor’ AQI

Delhi woke up to an extermely cold and toxic morning on Friday, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 346.

Several monitoring stations record AQI above 300 at 9 am

The monitoring stations at 9 am in the morning reported that the AQI levels were way above 300 in most of the areas, deepening public health concerns during the already going cold wave and fog conditions.

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According to the data issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) standards, Anand Vihar was the most polluted place with AQI of 369, which falls under the 'very poor' category.

Pollution spreads across north, central and outer Delhi

The next in terms of bad air quality was Chandni Chowk with AQI of 378, followed by Wazirpur reporting 378, and Rohini with 374, which confirms the pollution spread throughout north and central parts of Delhi.

Mundka was another area with very high pollution, with AQI of 385, which is very near to the 'severe' level. Aya Nagar AQI was recorded at 309 while Lodhi Road readings were 326 and 379 which were different at different monitoring points, indicating the drop in air quality even in the comparatively greener areas.

Besides these, other places too experienced pollution at alarming levels. Burari Crossing had an AQI of 329, Alipur 334, and IGI Airport (Terminal 3) was at 280, which is slightly lower than other affected areas but still is categorised under 'poor' air quality.

These statistics highlight the fact that the problem of air pollution in Delhi has become a continuous one affecting residential areas, commercial places, and even transit zones.

CPCB classification explains health risk levels

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has classified different levels of air pollution through the Air Quality Index (AQI) scale.

It considers the air quality at the level of 0 up to 50 as ‘good’, from 51 to 100 as ‘satisfactory’, then it starts moving up the scale from 101 to 200 as ‘moderate’, 201-300 as ‘poor’, 301-400 as ‘very poor’, and finally 401-500 as ‘severe’.

Regardless the regular AQI readings over 300, the city is still considered to be in a health-risk zone especially for children, seniors, and asthmatic patients.

Cold wave and low winds trap pollutants near surface

Besides the pollution problem, Delhi is going through a cold wave. The Indian Metrological Department (IMD) states that in some areas of the city the minimum temperature is close to 5 degrees Celsius.

The foggy weather worsened the situation on Friday morning as it affected both visibility and transport. While earlier in the day northern India reported dense to very dense fog at several airports, Delhi was also under shallow to moderate fog, with visibility down at major spots.

These weather conditions are not only a factor in poor air quality but also cause a rise in the number of traffic jams and flight delays.

The previous day, the overall AQI of Delhi was registered at 352, which was already enough to categorize under 'very poor'.