AQI still ‘severe’ in smoggy Delhi, Haryana allows partial school closure

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in most parts of Delhi and its adjoining areas remained in ‘severe’ category on Sunday, November 17, while smoggy conditions also prevailed amid colder winds bringing the temperature in the cities down.

As per the Sameer app, which provides hourly update of the National Air Quality Index published by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall AQI of Delhi stood at 428 – ‘severe’ category – at around 7 am on Sunday. Of 35 monitoring stations, data shared by the CPCB showed that most reported air quality in the severe category, with AQI levels above 400.

According to CPCB measures, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, 401 and 450 “severe” and above 450 “severe plus”.

At 471, Bawana station recorded the highest AQI, followed by Jahangirpuri, Ashok Vihar, Mundka, Vivek Vihar, Rohini and Anand Vihar – all of which logged air quality over 450.

The air quality in Delhi has been going down since October end and has been worsening since then, with the same attributed to multiple factors such as firecrackers and stubble burning – most common in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

According to the Centre’s Decision Support System for Air Quality Management, vehicular emissions and stubble were the top contributor to Delhi’s pollution on Thursday. Data showed that on Thursday, a total of five farm fires were reported in Punjab, 11 in Haryana, and the highest number, 202, in Uttar Pradesh, according to satellite data shared by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).