Delhi’s AQI rises to 373, air quality remains ‘very poor’

Delhi’s Air Quality Index reached 373 on Sunday afternoon, placing it in the “very poor” category, with 15 monitoring stations recording “severe” levels above 400.

The 15 stations are Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Burari, Chandni Chowk, Mathura Road, Dwarka, Nehru Nagar, Okhla, Punjabi Bagh, Pusa, RK Puram, Rohini, Siri Fort, Vivek Vihar and Wazirpur, according to data from the Sameer application, which provides hourly updates published by the Central Pollution Control Board.

The city continued to be covered in dense winter smog, reducing visibility, while temperatures hovered around 20.6 degrees Celsius, the Central Pollution Control Board said.

The Central government’s Air Quality Early Warning System forecast that pollution levels would remain “very poor” until at least Tuesday, Deccan Herald reported.

The national capital had reported an AQI of 303 on Saturday, up from 218 a day earlier.

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”.

Air quality deteriorates sharply in the winter months in Delhi, which is...

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