Delhi’s air quality remained a major concern on Friday, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 346 at 7 am, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Several parts of the national capital reported AQI levels above 300. Anand Vihar registered 354, Ashok Vihar 367, ITO 362, and RK Puram 374. Other areas such as Patparganj recorded 372, Wazirpur 374, Chandni Chowk 370, and Dwarka Sector 8 369, as per CPCB figures at 7 am.
Under the AQI scale, readings between 0–50 are considered ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’, and 401–500 ‘severe’.
Alongside poor air quality, the capital is also experiencing a cold wave, with temperatures dropping to around 5.4 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Dense to very dense fog led to sharply reduced visibility at several airports across northern and eastern India, according to official data reported at 5:30 am.
Airports in Amritsar, Adampur, Chandigarh, Pathankot, Hindon, and Saharanpur reported zero visibility due to very dense fog. Extremely low visibility conditions were also recorded across Punjab, Chandigarh, and parts of western Uttar Pradesh, raising concerns over potential disruptions to air and surface transport.
In Delhi, Palam reported visibility of 800 metres, while Safdarjung recorded 700 metres in shallow fog conditions.
Moderate fog was observed at other locations, with visibility at 200 metres in Varanasi and Jammu. Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh recorded 350 metres of visibility, while Kanpur and Gorakhpur saw a slight improvement to around 400 metres.
A day earlier, Delhi’s overall AQI stood at 352 at 8 am, remaining in the ‘very poor’ category, according to CPCB data…….. (Agencies)
