The Capital recorded its first poor air quality reading of the season on Wednesday morning, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 227 at 7.05 am, official data showed.
The deterioration in air quality is attributed to falling temperatures and changes in wind speed, which affect the dispersion of pollutants and contribute to their accumulation in the atmosphere. Delhi last recorded poor air quality on July 12 and 13, when the AQI stood at 261 and 246, respectively. An AQI of 0-50 is classified as good, 51-100 as satisfactory, 101-200 as moderate, 201-300 as poor, 301-400 as very poor and 401-500 as severe, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The air quality remained in the moderate category for most of October, barring brief improvements on October 12 and 16 following rainfall. The AQI stood at 187 on October 18, 139 on October 19 and 179 on October 20. Data from 56 of Delhi’s 59 air quality monitoring stations showed that two stations — Jahangirpuri and Pusa — recorded very poor air quality, with AQI readings of 308 and 314, respectively. At 16 stations, including Anand Vihar, the air quality remained in the moderate category.
