Delhi continues to choke in ‘very poor’ air quality; AQI hovers over 350

Delhi AQI today: The national capital's air quality continued to be in the ‘very poor’ category on Monday morning, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

At least a dozen stations recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of over 350, falling in the ‘very poor’ air category. The ITI Jahangirpuri area went one notch higher as the zone's AQI plummeted to 377, which is considered as ‘severe’ as per the CPCB metrics.

CPCB categorises the AQI as follows: 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’.

Here are the AQI readings for the other stations as of 6:30 am on Monday, November 11:

North Campus DU: 361 (Very Poor)

IGI Airport: 333 (Very Poor)

Ashok Vihar : 376 (Very Poor)

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium: 317 (Very Poor)

Sirifort: 335 (Very Poor)

Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 31°C on Monday, about a degree above normal for this time of year, after temperatures soared to 32.5°C over the weekend.

The minimum temperature was 23°C, three degrees higher than the season's average, showed data by the CPCB.

'EV as a service' to curb pollution

The Delhi government has introduced a slew of measures to keep pollution in check, with the EV rally being the latest. On Sunday, Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar flagged off the 'EV as a Service' event.

The ‘EV as a Service’ programme is designed to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles as a more sustainable alternative to conventional cars. Manohar Lal Khattar participated in the event by riding a bicycle and a tractor, highlighting the government's eco-friendly initiatives, reported ANI.

Sprinkling water through anti-smog guns has also been used as one of the measures to curb pollution.

Yesterday, many parts of the city, buildings, monuments, offices, flyovers, roads, and bridges were hardly visible as they were covered by a thick layer of smog.