New Delhi, November 01, 2023.
A layer of haze hung over Delhi and its surrounding areas on Wednesday, with the capital’s air quality slipping deeper into the ‘very poor’ category primarily due to a dip in temperature and calm winds during the night. The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 372 at 10 am, the highest so far this season. The 24-hour average AQI was 359 on Tuesday, 347 on Monday, 325 on Sunday, 304 on Saturday and 261 on Friday.
Several areas within the city such as Nehru Nagar (402), Sonia Vihar (412), Rohini (403), Wazirpur (422), Bawana (403), Mundka (407), Anand Vihar (422), and New Moti Bagh (435), experienced a drastic deterioration in air quality, plunging into the ‘severe’ category.
The concentration of PM2.5 — fine particulate matter which can penetrate deep into the respiratory system when inhaled and trigger respiratory problems — at these places was six to seven times the safe limit of 60 microgrammes per cubic metre.