delhi-chokes-on-aqi-of-404-as-air-quality-remains-severe

The capital city remained under a thick layer of smog on Thursday, even as temperatures plummeted. 

The ‘severe’ category of air quality remained in place for the third day in a row as the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed an AQI reading of 404 in its morning air quality bulletin.

What is even more alarming is that of the 37 monitoring stations, as many as 27 reported AQI levels in the ‘severe’ range, including Burari (433), Chandni Chowk (455), Anand Vihar (431), Mundka (438), Pusa (302), Bawana (460), and Wazirpur (452).

The ‘severe’ category indicates a level of pollution that can affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing diseases. 

New Delhi has reported its first ‘severe’ air quality day of the season on Tuesday, when the AQI was recorded at 428, the first such instance since December 2024.

 

Also Read: Delhi air quality remains ‘severe’ for second day in a row

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 to 500 ‘severe’, as per the CPCB classification.

The city’s schools have gone in hybrid mode, with the Education Department directing classes for students up to Class 5 in hybrid mode with immediate effect.

The order was issued by Director of Education, Veditha Reddy, who said the deteriorating air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR) and the activation of Stage III (Severe) measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) necessitated it.

“Accordingly, in an effort to prevent further deterioration of the air quality the Sub Committee on GRAP hereby decide to invoke all actions under Stage-IlI ('Severe' Air Quality of Delhi of extant schedule of GRAP, with immediate effect in right earnest by all the agencies concerned in Delhi NCR, in addition to the Stage-l and Il actions already in force,” the order stated.

 

Meanwhile, minimum temperature settled at 10.6 degrees Celsius on Thursday, 2.9 notches below the season’s average with the maximum temperature likely to hover around 27 degrees Celsius.