As of Friday morning, the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) for Delhi stands at 190, classifying it as ‘moderate,’ according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).
SAFAR data at 7.10 a.m. on October 13 reveals that IIT Delhi has an AQI of 169, placing it in the ‘poor’ category, while Delhi Airport T3 records an AQI of 204, also categorized as ‘poor.’
The AQI near Delhi University currently stands at 313, falling within the ‘very poor’ category.
In Noida, the recorded AQI is 214, also classifying as ‘poor,’ while Gurugram registers an AQI of 127, categorized as ‘moderate.’ Specific areas such as Lodhi Road, Ayanagar, and Dhirpur report AQI levels of 139 and 114.
Dhirpur records the highest AQI at 304, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category.
The AQI scale ranges from ‘good’ (0-50), ‘satisfactory’ (51-100), ‘moderate’ (101-200), ‘poor’ (201-300), ‘very poor’ (301-400), to ‘severe’ (401-500).
IMD Environment Monitoring & Research head Vijay Kumar Soni stated, “Yesterday, the AQI was in the ‘poor’ category. Today, the AQI is 237, which falls under the ‘poor’ category. This is expected to remain in the same category until tomorrow. However, there is a possibility of rain after October 15, which may improve the AQI and return it to the ‘moderate’ or ‘satisfactory’ category.”
On Thursday, Delhi experienced a maximum temperature of 34.7 degrees Celsius, slightly above the seasonal average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The city also registered a minimum temperature of 16.4 degrees Celsius, which was notably five degrees below the usual norms.
Earlier on October 10, the Supreme Court requested a report from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) regarding the measures in place to combat air pollution in the Delhi region and its vicinity.
The central government has initiated a series of anti-air pollution measures as part of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which typically takes effect in the Delhi-NCR region during the winter season. The GRAP consists of four stages: Stage 1 (‘poor’ air quality with an AQI range of 201-300), Stage 2 (‘very poor’ with an AQI between 301-400), Stage 3 (‘severe’ for AQI levels of 401-450), and Stage 4 (‘severe plus’ for AQI values exceeding 450.
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