Delhi air quality improves to poor category as AQI hits 299
Pollution levels in the national capital showed marginal improvement on Wednesday morning due to changing wind patterns.
Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 299 at 7 am on Wednesday, moving the city into the 'poor' category, according to India Today. This follows a recent spike in pollution levels after Diwali, when the AQI had climbed to 376.
Of the 58 monitoring stations reporting data, 28 recorded 'very poor' air quality and 30 were in the 'poor' category. Chandni Chowk saw the highest pollution at 379, while IIT Delhi and Delhi Technological University (DTU) both measured 375. Other areas with high readings included North Campus at 374 and ITO at 367.
Weather expert Mahesh Palawat, vice-president of Skymet, stated that changing wind patterns have aided the dispersion of pollutants. He noted that northwesterlies are currently impacting the region with average speeds of 12-14 kmph.
Palawat expects wind speeds to remain high for the next few days, which could lead to further improvements. The Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi has also predicted a decline in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations over the next two days.
In the wider National Capital Region, Noida's AQI improved to 278, while Gurugram fell to 292. Conversely, Ghaziabad saw its AQI rise to 282. Delhi Cantonment was the only area to report 'moderate' air quality with an AQI of 117.