New Delhi, Oct. 24:
Delhi woke up to poor air quality on Friday as a layer of smog hung over the national capital, with the average Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 225 at 9 am.
The minimum temperature at Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, was recorded at 19 degrees Celsius, 1.8 degrees above normal. Palam recorded a minimum of 18.3 degrees Celsius, while Lodhi Road registered 18.6 degrees Celsius. Ayanagar and the Ridge recorded minimum temperatures of 19.1 and 19.2 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The India Meteorological Department forecast a maximum temperature of around 32 degrees Celsius, with mainly clear skies during the day.
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s SAMEER application showed that 38 monitoring stations across Delhi recorded poor air quality, while 18 stations reported moderate conditions.
Pusa recorded the highest AQI among the listed stations at 290, followed by RK Puram at 284 and Rohini at 279. Narela recorded 272, while Mathura Road and Dwarka registered 268 each. North Campus of Delhi University recorded 240, followed by Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 3 at 228 and Anand Vihar at 216.
According to the CPCB classification, an AQI between 201 and 300 falls under the poor category, while readings between 301 and 400 are classified as very poor. An AQI of 401 to 500 is considered severe.
The latest readings indicated that air pollution remained a concern across several parts of the capital even as minimum temperatures stayed above seasonal averages.