Delhi air quality dips to ‘very poor’ amid winter chill

The air quality in the national capital again settled in the 'very poor' category on Monday, with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 301.

After 24 days of 'very poor' air, often bordering the 'severe' zone, the air quality in Delhi on Sunday had improved to the 'poor' category with a reading of 279.

However, data from the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) Sameer app showed that 24 of the 38 monitoring stations in the city registered air quality in the 'very poor' category, while the remaining 14 recorded 'poor' levels.

The winter chill, meanwhile, intensified with the minimum temperature dropping to 5.7 degrees Celsius, which is 4.6 degrees below the season's average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The relative humidity was recorded at 100 per cent at 8.30 am. The IMD said the maximum temperature is expected to settle around 24 degrees Celsius.

As per CPCB standards, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.