Air quality worsens, AQI crosses 300

New Delhi: Delhi's air quality took a downturn on Sunday, plunging again into the 'very poor' category with an AQI reading of 302 after having improved to the 'moderate' level at the start of December.

The air quality had last been recorded in the 'very poor' category on November 30, with a reading of 346. The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city was recorded at 302 at 4 pm on Sunday, marking a deterioration compared to Saturday's reading of 233 (poor' category). Of the 38 air quality monitoring stations in the city, 23 reported air quality in the 'very poor' category on Sunday, compared to only two on Saturday.

Meanwhile, 13 stations recorded air quality in the 'poor' category, and the rest were in the 'moderate' category, according to the Sameer app. At the start of December, the air quality improved, shifting first to the 'poor' category and then further to the 'moderate' category. But Sunday saw the air quality deteriorating sharply to the 'very poor' category from 'moderate.' The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies AQI between 0 and 50 as "good", between 51 and 100 as "satisfactory", between 101 and 200 as "moderate", between 201 and 300 as "poor", between 301 and 400 as "very poor", and above 400 as "severe". The primary pollutants on Sunday were PM 10 and PM2.5 with PM 10 levels recorded at 249 ľg/m ł and PM 2.5 levels at 134.4 ľg/m ł at 4 p.m. These fine particles pose significant health risks as they can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Meanwhile, the Decision Support System (DSS), the primary tool used to assess and estimate the sources of pollution in Delhi, has not been updated since November 29. The latest data available on the website is from November 26 to November 29, and data for the past four days is now missing.