The air quality in Delhi and its adjoining regions improved to very poor category on Wednesday morning, with the AQI recorded at 349, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Smog looked to have cleared marginally, though some monitoring stations in the national capital recorded an AQI on the brink of severe zone.
On Tuesday, Delhi was the second-most polluted city in India, with Noida – part of the National Capital Region (NCR) – topping the list. The air quality in both cities dropped to severe category, with smog encompassing the cities, especially in the early morning hours. The 24-hour average AQI in Delhi was recorded at 412, whereas in Noida it was 426
As per the CPCB standards, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51–100 'satisfactory', 101–200 'moderate', 201–300 'poor', 301–400 'very poor', and 401–500 'severe'.
Data from the Decision Support System (DSS) for Air Quality Management revealed that vehicular emissions were the largest contributor, accounting for 14.4 per cent of the total pollution load in Delhi on Tuesday. This was followed by industries in the national capital and adjoining areas (7.2 per cent), construction activities (2 per cent) and waste burning (1.3 per cent).
Delhi is expected to have very poor air quality over the next five days, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department said Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 23.2 degrees Celsius, 2.5 notches above normal, and a minimum temperature of 8.8 degrees Celsius, 1.3 degrees above normal. The Met Department forecast a minimum temperature of 9 degrees Celsius, and a maximum of 19 degrees Celsius, accompanied by moderate fog for Wednesday. Furthermore, it predicted a gradual fall in minimum temperature by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius in the next 24 hours in northwest and central India, and no significant change thereafter. The prediction is same for Delhi, with the minimum temperature likely to drop to 7 degrees Celsius from tomorrow onwards.
