National Capital’s air quality slightly improves but remains ‘poor’ category; Anand Vihar still in ‘severe’ zone; Check area-wise data here
Air quality in Delhi still remains in the ‘poor’ category, with pollution levels remaining alarmingly high in many areas. Read here to get the full prediction.
The day began with a blanket of haze and smoke that reduced visibility and air quality over Delhi and parts of the National Capital Region (NCR). Despite this, the air quality in Delhi showed a significant improvement on Saturday morning, though it remained in the ‘poor’ category. According to the Delhi Early Warning System, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reading was 257 at 5:30 am, marking a 36-point improvement over Friday’s reading of 293.
The AQI reading has been fluctuating for the last few days; 325 readings were recorded on Thursday and 345 on Wednesday. AQI reading is categorized as Good (0-50), Satisfactory (51-100), Moderately Contaminated (101-200), Poor (201-300), Very Poor (301-400) and Severe (401-500). The higher the AQI value, the unhealthy it is to breathe.
Anand Vihar tops the list of most polluted areas in Delhi
According to available data, Anand Vihar topped the list of most polluted areas in Delhi with an AQI of 411. Other areas following it closely include Shadipur with 328 AQI, Bawana with 318 AQI and Wazirpur with 314 AQI. Punjabi Bagh and Vivek Vihar also reported high AQI readings of 301 and 300. respectively.
Air quality in other parts of the National Capital Region was no better. According to private air pollution tracker aqi.in, the air quality at 6 am in Greater Noida and Ghaziabad was 370, while in Noida it read 332. Faridabad recorded a lower AQI at 342 and Gurgaon’s figure was even lower at 301. There is often a difference between AQI figures recorded by EWS, Central Pollution Control Board and aqi.in due to the location of various monitoring units. stations and devices and different parameters taken into account.
AQI prediction estimate
According to EWS’s AQI forecast, AQI may go up to 378 on Sunday. If the government’s plan to launch artificial rain in Delhi on October 29 works, the AQI could drop significantly. However, this depends on the movement of clouds and the success of cloud seeding. Meanwhile, the government is resorting to spraying water with anti-smog guns in Delhi to reduce the level of pollutants in the air.
IMD estimate
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that a disturbance coming from the west is expected to start affecting the region from Monday. “It is likely to affect the Western Himalayan Region and adjoining northern plains of India from October 27 to the morning of October 29. Under its influence, one or two very light rains or drizzle are likely to occur over Delhi from the evening of October 27 to the morning of October 28,” an IMD official said. he said.
