Cold wave grips Delhi as air quality slips to ‘very poor’

New Delhi: Delhi continued to face harsh winter conditions on Wednesday, with temperatures dropping sharply across the city. The minimum temperature at Safdarjung, the city’s main weather station, fell to 3.8 degrees Celsius, which is 3.6 degrees below normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Other parts of the city also recorded low temperatures. Lodhi Road reported a minimum of 3.6 degrees Celsius, Palam 4.4 degrees Celsius, Ayanagar 4 degrees Celsius and the Ridge 4.6 degrees Celsius, all significantly below normal levels. The IMD said cold wave conditions are declared when minimum temperatures fall 4.5 to 6.4 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 20 degrees Celsius.

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Alongside the cold, Delhi’s air quality worsened further. The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 354, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Data from the CPCB’s SAMEER app showed 33 monitoring stations in the ‘very poor’ category, four in ‘severe’, and two in ‘poor’. Jahangirpuri recorded the worst air quality with an AQI of 420, falling in the ‘severe’ range.

As per CPCB standards, an AQI of 0–50 is ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’, and 401–500 ‘severe’.

(with inputs from agencies)