New Delhi: Air quality in the national capital showed marginal improvement on Sunday morning, though pollution levels continued to hover in the unhealthy range across several areas, official data showed.
Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 196 at 7 a.m., placing it in the “moderate” category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. The reading marked an improvement from Saturday evening, when the AQI stood at 227 at 4 p.m., classified as “poor.”
Despite the dip, multiple monitoring stations reported poor air quality. Mundka recorded the highest AQI at 266, followed by Pusa at 257. Narela and Rohini both logged AQI levels of 247, while Ashok Vihar stood at 243. Jahangirpuri recorded 242, Wazirpur 239, Nehru Nagar 237 and Shadipur 236. Bawana and Vivek Vihar each reported 231, Sirifort 222 and Chandni Chowk 220, all falling under the “poor” category.
In contrast, relatively cleaner air was observed in southern and central parts of the city. Sri Aurobindo Marg recorded the lowest AQI at 126. Other areas with comparatively better readings included IGI Airport at 131, Aya Nagar at 136, Lodhi Road at 139, Major Dhyan Chand Stadium at 140, IIT Delhi at 141 and Mandir Marg at 145.
A thin haze continued to blanket parts of the city, indicating that overall air quality conditions remain a concern despite the slight improvement.
Saturday’s readings showed similar trends, with Anand Vihar recording an AQI of 260 and RK Puram 237, both in the “poor” category. The AQI at ITO was logged at 223 during the morning rush, while Chandni Chowk stood at 232. Aya Nagar and IGI Airport (Terminal 3) reported AQI levels of 151 and 138, respectively, while Pusa recorded 157 — all classified as “moderate.”
Under the AQI scale, readings between 0 and 50 are considered “good,” 51 to 100 “satisfactory,” 101 to 200 “moderate,” 201 to 300 “poor,” 301 to 400 “very poor,” and 401 to 500 “severe.”
The India Meteorological Department has forecast a maximum temperature of 23 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 10 degrees Celsius for the national capital on Sunday, with mist likely to persist during the day.
