Delhi wakes to hazy morning, AQI stays in 'moderate' category at 167

Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘moderate’ category on Tuesday morning, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) rising marginally to 167 at 7 am from 164 at 7.05 am on Monday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB’s) All India AQI portal. The national capital woke to hazy conditions, with PM2.

5 and PM10 identified as the prominent pollutants in the city-level data. As per the monitoring station data, 15 of the 59 air quality monitoring stations across the national capital were reporting AQI in 'poor' category. CRRI Mathura Road recorded the highest AQI at 253, followed by Jahangirpuri at 251, Rohini at 237, R K Puram at 230, and Mundka at 227.

The AQI in neighbouring Gurugram stood at 165, while Noida recorded 139, Ghaziabad 133, Faridabad 117 and Greater Noida 115, according to CPCB data at 7 am. All five cities remained in the ‘moderate’ category. PM10 and PM2.5 were the prominent pollutants in Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida, while PM10 was the prominent pollutant in Faridabad.

PM2.5 refers to fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, which can penetrate deep into the lungs. PM10 comprises particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less. Both are indicators of particulate pollution, which can arise from sources such as vehicle emissions, road dust, construction activity and the burning of fuels.