Delhi’s air quality was in the upper end of the “very poor” category on Wednesday morning, while pollution levels have already entered the “severe” zone in the neighbouring cities of Ghaziabad and Greater Noida.
The Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was 381 at 9 am. The 24-hour average was 367 on Tuesday. It was 318 on Monday and 268 on Sunday.
Noida, Faridabad and Gurugram recorded “very poor” air quality on Wednesday. Ghaziabad and Greater Noida recorded an AQI of 430 and 410, respectively.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.
The maximum wind speed is expected to be 12 kmph on Wednesday, according to the IMD.
The minimum temperature was 8.2 degrees Celsius on Wednesday and the maximum is expected to settle around 27 degrees Celsius, the weather department said.
The minimum temperature this season has remained 2-3 degrees Celsius below normal in the absence of a cloud cover on most days, according to IMD officials.
Presence of pollutant PM 2.5 and PM 10 also remained high in the NCR cities.