Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) climbed to 264 on Thursday morning, placing it in the “poor” category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
As of 8 am on November 6, Jahangirpuri recorded an AQI of 284, while ITO touched 295. A thick layer of smog blanketed several parts of the national capital.
Mundka reported “very poor” air quality with an AQI of 305, and Rohini recorded 296. In North Delhi, Narela registered an AQI of 302.
In the neighbouring NCR region, Noida’s Sector 62 logged an AQI of 215 at 5 am, while Ghaziabad’s Sanjay Nagar recorded 265.
According to the CPCB, air quality is considered “good” when the AQI is 0–50, “satisfactory” between 51–100, “moderate” from 101–200, “poor” from 201–300, “very poor” from 301–400, and “severe” when it exceeds 400.
AQI increase after a dip?
The spike comes even as Delhi showed sharp improvement on Wednesday.
The 24-hour average AQI was 202 (poor) at 4 pm, a significant improvement from 291 (poor) the previous day.
By 7 pm, it had improved further to 197 (moderate). Earlier in the day, it was logged at 221 at 10 am and 215 at 11 am, indicating steady improvement.
On Tuesday, the AQI stood at 291, and on Monday it was 309, CPCB data showed.
Levels of key pollutants also fell. PM10 dropped to 175.2 micrograms per cubic metre from 260 a day earlier, and PM2.5 fell to 85.5 from 128.2 on Tuesday.
Of the city’s 38 monitoring stations, 28 reported “very poor” air quality with readings above 300, according to the CPCB’s Sameer app.
When did Delhi record ‘good’ air?
Delhi last recorded “good” air in September 2023, when rainfall and strong winds helped clear pollutants.
On Monday, the average AQI at 4 pm, when CPCB issues its national bulletin, was 309 (very poor).
This came a day after the city logged its worst air of the season, with a reading of 388 at 10 am on Sunday.
