Delhi air quality nears ‘severe’ mark as smog chokes several areas

New Delhi: Delhi woke up to another day of choking pollution on Wednesday, with many parts of the city slipping into the ‘severe’ category. Data from 40 CPCB monitoring stations showed that 14 locations registered an AQI above 400 by 7:05 am, signalling dangerously high pollution levels.

Delhi’s overall AQI was 376 around 7 am, edging closer to the ‘severe’ range and slightly higher than Tuesday’s reading of 372. Though still classified as ‘very poor’, the city’s air quality is now hovering just below the hazardous mark.

A dense blanket of smog covered large portions of the capital, leading to poor visibility through the morning. Chandni Chowk recorded one of the worst readings at 431, while several other hotspots including Anand Vihar, Bawana, RK Puram, Vivek Vihar and Jahangirpuri also reported severe pollution levels.

The latest spike continues an upward trend over the past few days. Delhi had recorded an AQI of 279 on November 30, which climbed to 304 on December 1 and 372 on December 2, before inching higher again on Wednesday. Residents reported burning eyes, throat irritation and breathing discomfort as smog tightened its grip on the city.

Out of all monitoring stations, NSIT Dwarka was the only location to log ‘poor’ air quality, while every other station showed readings in the ‘very poor’ or ‘severe’ categories. Nehru Nagar and Chandni Chowk emerged as the most polluted spots.

Health specialists have cautioned that prolonged exposure to such toxic air can worsen asthma, trigger lung and heart complications and even pose risks to otherwise healthy individuals if the conditions persist.

Neighbouring cities also fared poorly. Noida’s Sector 125 recorded an AQI of 406, while Greater Noida touched 372 around the same time, indicating high pollution levels across the NCR.

The capital’s air had seen brief respite over the weekend when strong northwesterly winds dispersed pollutants, ending a long spell of ‘very poor’ air quality. However, the improvement was short-lived as concentrations surged again from Monday.

The CPCB classifies AQI from 0 to 500 into six categories, with each indicating the severity of pollution and its potential impact on health.

(with inputs from agencies)