Air in Delhi-NCR Turns Extremely Toxic, AQI Crosses 560; Residents Falling Ill

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Air quality in Delhi remained in the “very poor” category for the 15th consecutive day on Saturday. According to the latest data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and other monitoring agencies, Noida recorded an AQI of 561 at 7:47 AM, which falls under the “hazardous” category. Throughout November, pollution levels in the national capital have stayed extremely high. On Friday, the city’s 24-hour average AQI was 369, keeping the air quality very poor for half of the month.

Weather and air-quality agencies estimate that no major improvement is expected in the coming week. Due to stagnant winds and unfavourable weather conditions, pollutants are not dispersing. Experts say residents of Delhi are unlikely to get relief anytime soon, as smoke and dust continue to remain trapped in the air.

Saturday morning’s CPCB readings showed most stations reporting AQI in the “very poor” bracket—Anand Vihar (354), Ashok Vihar (347), Bawana (364), Burari (347), Chandni Chowk (351), Dwarka Sector 8 (368), ITO (343), Patparganj (341), Punjabi Bagh (355), Rohini (364), and Vivek Vihar (358). Some areas showed slightly better, though still poor, readings such as IGI Airport (295), Dilshad Garden (272), Mandir Marg (251), and NSIT Dwarka (252).

Daily average AQI levels remained consistently high throughout the week—Thursday (377), Wednesday (327), Tuesday (352), and Monday (382), all falling in the very poor range. The India Meteorological Department has predicted fog for Saturday, with the maximum temperature expected to be around 26°C and the minimum around 11°C.