AQI remains in 'very poor' category as layer of smog persists in Delhi sky

With smog engulfing the national capital, the air quality in the city was recorded in the 'very poor' category on Saturday morning with an AQI of 337, as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).On Friday morning, the overall AQI of the city stood at 324.

In the National Capital Region (NCR) Noida recorded an AQI of 353, in the 'very poor' category, while Gurugram recorded an AQI of 346 and continued to remain in the 'very poor category'.

AQI recorded at all major monitoring stations in the national capital was in the 'very poor' category. Pusa recorded an AQI of 341 while Dhirpur recorded an AQI of 306. Lodhi Road recorded 313, Delhi Airport (T3) recorded an AQI of 373 and Mathura road recorded an AQI of 341. The AQI at Delhi University stood at 351 while IIT Delhi stood at 334 in 'very poor category.' Ayanagar also was at the lower end of the 'poor' category at 336 at 9:50 am on Saturday.

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', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

Amid the thick layer of smog blanketing the national capital, the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has issued a passenger advisory due to low visibility.

"Low Visibility Procedures are in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations are presently normal. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information," the Delhi Airport tweeted.

Meanwhile, with an aim to boost the joint and augmented approach towards prevention, control and abatement of the menace of air pollution in Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) has decided to tap the technical or academic expertise of the reputed scientific institutions working in the field of air pollution.

"The Air Quality Index (AQI) has been showing an increasing trend for the last two days in Delhi-NCR. Wind conditions have not been very favourable and accordingly dispersion of air pollutants has not been very effective," the CAQM said in a statement. As per the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, seven proposals have been approved by the Commission after detailed technical and financial evaluation and appraisal.