Delhi: ‘Severe’ air quality recorded in 17 of 39 monitoring stations

The air quality in Delhi remained in the “very poor” category on Saturday afternoon despite restrictions in place to curb pollution.

At 12.05 pm, the Air Quality Index in 17 of the 39 monitoring stations in the national capital recorded readings above 400, categorised as “severe”, the Sameer application, which provides hourly updates published by the Central Pollution Control Board, showed.

The average AQI for the national capital stood at 390, placing it in the higher end of the “very poor” category, the data showed. The overall air quality was recorded to be above 400 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

On Friday, the overall AQI in Delhi stood at 387.

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”.

An Air Quality Index in the “severe” category signifies hazardous pollution levels that can pose serious risks even to healthy individuals.

The pollution levels in Delhi turned “severe” on Tuesday, after which...

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