The air quality in Delhi has remained ‘very poor’ for the fourth consecutive day with the AQI falling into the ‘severe’ category in many areas. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) India data at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, pollution levels have entered the ‘severe’ zone in many localities.

At 6 a.m., Delhi’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 327, as per SAFAR-India data. The national capital and its surrounding areas are facing various air quality conditions for the fourth straight day. Specifically, Pusa Road and Lodhi Road areas recorded AQI levels of 300 and 306, respectively, both falling under the ‘very poor’ category.

Delhi University reported an AQI of 388, indicating ‘very poor’ air quality. Terminal 3 at the international airport recorded an AQI of 329, also in the ‘very poor’ range. Noida and Mathura Road had AQI levels of 375 and 330, respectively. Ayanagar and IIT Delhi recorded AQIs of 307 and 320. Gurugram had a comparatively lower AQI of 249, indicating ‘poor’ air quality. However, Dhirpur recorded an AQI of 404, falling into the ‘severe’ category.

In Mumbai, the air quality remains ‘moderate’ with an AQI of 120, according to SAFAR data at 6 a.m. on Tuesday. However, there are variations in different parts of the city. Borivali recorded an AQI of 121, indicating a relatively moderate level, while Malad noted an AQI of 160.

Bhandup and Navi Mumbai have AQI levels of 107 and 118, respectively, indicating relatively better air quality. In contrast, Colaba and Mazgaon recorded higher AQI levels of 184 and 155.

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The air quality in the capital this month has been the worst in the last three October, according to a report by Times of India. However, the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) shows that the average AQI in the city stands at 210 between October 1 and October 29, which is lower than the 257 recorded in October 2020. This is partly due to a lower number of rainy days this year compared to October in the previous two years.

In 2021 and 2022, the city experienced over 120 mm of rain in October. In contrast, Delhi had only trace rains on a single day in October 2020. This year, 5.4 mm of rain was recorded on October 17, but the skies have remained clear since then.

(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)