Delhi AQI stands at 230, poor air to persist

Delhi recorded ‘poor’ air quality on Friday, with no improvement expected over the next nine days. The Capital’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 230, the data showed.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s Sameer app, three of the 56 monitoring stations in the city recorded air quality in the ‘very poor’ category, with Pusa recording the highest AQI at 324. While 36 stations recorded ‘poor’ air quality, the AQI readings from the remaining 17 stations were in the ‘moderate’ category.

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa directed officials on Friday to identify pollution hotspots in the Capital’s southwest and west using air quality data and ground inspections, urging them to ensure time-bound action against road dust, traffic congestion, encroachments and open waste burning.

Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the ‘poor’ category from October 23 to October 26. It is likely to remain unchanged over the subsequent six days, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System. A ventilation index below 6,000 square metres per second, coupled with an average wind speed of less than 10 km/ph, is unfavourable for the dispersion of pollutants, the forecast said.