AQI today: The national capital seems to be experiencing no respite as the air pollution levels worsen. With the Air Quality Index (AQI) at nearly 'severe' levels, a thick smog continues to envelop Delhi.
According to the Ministry of Environment's SAMEER app, the AQI in Delhi at 8 a.m. was 394, falling in the ‘very poor’ category and just 6 points away from 'severe'.
At several stations including Anand Vihar, Wazirpur, Rohini, Mundka, the AQI has breached the 420-mark.
“The AQI has risen due to a combination of stagnant winds that have a speed of less than 10 kilometres per hour and dropping temperatures that trap pollutants close to the ground,” news agency PTI quoted environmentalist Bhavreen Kandhari as saying.
The latest data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said Delhi's 24-hour average AQI, recorded at 4 pm, stood at 349.
The CPCB categorises the AQI as follows -- 0-50 (good), 51-100 (satisfactory), 101-200 (moderate), 201-300 (poor), 301-400 (very poor), 401-450 (severe) and above 450 (severe plus).
Last week, the city endured its highest recorded AQI for the season, reaching a hazardous 495, prompting the implementation of the Stage-4 restrictions under the Supreme Court-mandated Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to curb pollution.
The Centre's Decision Support System (DSS) for Air Quality Management estimated that vehicular emissions contributed 22 per cent to Delhi's pollution on Tuesday. Stubble burning, another major factor, accounted for 11 per cent of the capital's pollution on Sunday.
The DSS provides daily estimates for vehicular emissions, while the data on stubble burning is typically released the following day.
Air pollution remained at a normal level in Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, and other metro cities.
In Ahmedabad, the AQI score was recorded as 169, 85 in Bengaluru, 131 in Chennai, 119 in Hyderabad, 266 in Kolkata, 162 in Mumbai, and 165 in Pune. However, Chandigarh recored a ‘poor’ AQI at 236.
