Delhi’s AQI rises to 187 amid dry weather

New Delhi: Delhi’s air quality deteriorated on Sunday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 187 at 4pm, up from 90 on Friday and 159 on Saturday.

The city had recorded the same AQI (187) on October 4. During the current season, Delhi saw an AQI higher than 187 earlier on July 13, when the AQI reached 246,according to the Central Pollution Control Board data.

Of the 58 active air quality monitoring stations in Delhi, 21 recorded air quality in the poor category. Officials attributed the rise in pollution levels to a lack of rain, slow wind speeds and localised emissions.

According to the CPCB standards, an AQI of 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.Delhi recorded an AQI of 166 on Thursday, 174 on Friday and 171 on Saturday, with PM10 as the dominant pollutant. The AQI remained at the higher end of the ‘moderate category’. The Delhi cantonment area had recorded the lowest AQI in the city at 115.

The CPCB data shows that the ITO air quality monitoring station fared worst, with the AQI in the ‘severe’ category at 425, followed by Vivek Vihar station at 261, Siri Fort and Jahangirpuri stations at 257, JLN stadium at 246.