Delhi air quality remains ‘very poor’ on Diwali morning, several areas record ‘severe’ AQI

Delhi residents woke up to “very poor” air quality on Diwali morning, with several parts of the national capital recording pollution levels in the “severe” category.

The overall Air Quality Index stood at 383 at 8 am on Sunday, according to the Sameer application, which provides hourly updates published by the Central Pollution Control Board.

Twenty-four monitoring stations recorded AQI levels above 400, indicating “severe” air pollution. Jahangirpuri was the worst-affected area, with an AQI of 450, followed by RK Puram at 448 and Punjabi Bagh at 446.

An index value between 0 and 50 indicates “good” air quality, between 51 and 100 indicates “satisfactory” air quality and between 101 and 200 indicates “moderate” air quality. As the index value increases further, air quality deteriorates. A value of 201 and 300 means “poor” air quality, while between 301 and 400 indicates “very poor” air.

Between 401 and 450 indicates “severe” air pollution, while anything above the 450 threshold is termed “severe plus”.

The cities adjoining the capital also recorded “poor” to “very poor” air quality. While Noida recorded an AQI of 319, Gurugram recorded 322.

Air quality deteriorates sharply in the winter months in Delhi, which is often ranked the world’s most polluted capital. The lighting of firecrackers during Diwali along with stubble burning in...

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