Delhi's post-rain relief ends as AQI breaches 300, Diwali threat looms

Delhi's air quality deteriorated sharply on Monday, with the national capital recording an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 310 at 8.05 am, pushing it into the 'very poor' category for the first time this season.

A layer of haze shrouded the city in the early hours as the brief relief brought by last week's rainfall came to an end.

The deterioration was particularly sharp in some parts of the city. Jahangirpuri recorded an AQI of 420, placing it in the 'severe' category, while Rohini and Punjabi Bagh reported readings of 399 each.

Data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that ITO recorded an AQI of 351. Alipur registered 382, followed by Mundka at 377 and Vivek Vihar at 376. Narela recorded 375, while RK Puram and Sonia Vihar both reported 370. Bawana recorded an AQI of 365.

Of the 58 monitoring stations across Delhi for which data was available, Tikri Kalan reported the lowest AQI at 160. Ghummanhera and Maidan Garhi followed with readings of 186 and 189, respectively. Even these readings fell in the 'moderate' category.