Highlights
- Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) has been deteriorating over the past few days.
- Since monsoon is receding, air pollution is likely to intensify.
- With an AQI of 405 (severe), Anand Vihar was the most-polluted place on Monday.
Delhi air quality: The Air Quality Index (AQI) has been deteriorating over the past few days. Although light rains are on the cards for the national capital over the 5 days, since monsoon is receding, air pollution is likely to intensify. Delhi's air quality inched towards the poor category on Monday, just three days after the city recorded its first good air quality day this year. With an AQI of 405 (severe), Anand Vihar was the most-polluted place in the capital on Monday
On Tuesday, the air quality index of Delhi’s most polluted hot spot, Anand Vihar, reached the severe category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board bulletin on air quality, the AQI of Anand Vihar reached 418 on the second day of the week.
The capital recorded a 24-hour average air quality index of 182 at 4 pm on Monday. It was 119 on Sunday, 70 on Saturday and 47 on Friday. Mahesh Palawat, vice president (climate change and meteorology), Skymet Weather, said a confluence of easterly and westerly winds did not let local pollutants disperse.
According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences' Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi-NCR, air quality will remain in the 'poor' category today as well (September 21).
According to the Decision Support System of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the transport sector accounted for 14 to 22 per cent of the PM2.5 pollution in Delhi on Monday. It is likely to increase to 33 per cent today.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'. A sustained spell of light rain in the capital had yielded the first "good" air quality day of the year on Friday.
