New Delhi: The air quality in Delhi worsens as the temperature continues to dip, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 382. The temperature remained at 19° Celsius with a dense layer of smog. Most areas recorded an AQI above the 400 mark, which falls under the ‘severe’ category. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had earlier imposed GRAB Stage-II, which may be updated to Stage-III, given that the overall AQI crosses the 400 mark.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) categorises AQI between 0 and 50 as good, 50 to 100 as satisfactory, 101 to 200 as moderate, 201 to 300 as poor, 301 to 400 as very poor and 400 to 500 as severe. The average air quality in Delhi falls under the ‘very poor’ category, while many areas also have air quality inthe ‘severe’ category as per the AQI provided by CPCB’s SAMEER app.