'Very poor' air quality in Delhi as winds slow down

New Delhi, November 24

Delhi's air quality slipped into the very poor category on Wednesday morning as low temperatures and slow surface winds allowed accumulation of pollutants.

The city's air quality index (AQI) read 357 at 9 am.

According to the India Meteorological Department, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 9.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest this season so far. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 27 degrees Celsius. 

Strong winds on Sunday and Monday had led to an improvement in the air quality. 

The 24-hour average AQI read 290 on Tuesday, the second best AQI reading this month since November 1 (281).

Delhi has seen very poor or severe air quality on the rest of the days.

Neighbouring Faridabad (348), Ghaziabad (346), Greater Noida (329), Gurugram (308) and Noida (320) also saw a dip in the air quality on Wednesday morning.

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".

The Delhi government will take a call on the reopening of schools, colleges and other educational institutes and work-from-home for its employees during a review meeting on Wednesday.

It will also discuss if CNG-operated trucks carrying non-essential items can be allowed to enter Delhi.

The government had on Monday lifted the ban on construction and demolition activities in view of improvement in the air quality and the inconvenience caused to workers.

The city government had on Sunday night extended work-from-home for its employees and the ban on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential items till November 26 to combat air pollution and minimise its health effects. PTI