Delhi's air quality continues to remain in 'very poor' category

New Delhi : The citizens of Delhi woke up to a foggy morning with reduced visibility as the air quality continued to remain in 'very poor' category on Friday.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi today stood at 346.

An AQI between 0-50 is marked good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101- 200 is moderate, 201- 300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is considered severe.

On Thursday, the AQI was 329 and on Wednesday, the AQI was 321.

People are advised to avoid all outdoor physical activities and move to indoor activities. If anyone is suffering from asthma, they should keep relief medicine handy, as per the SAFAR advisory. The report also added that the AQI is likely to stay in the very poor category till today.

"The minimum temperature in Delhi dipped down to 3 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature is expected to touch 20 degrees Celsius," the Regional Meteorological Department of Delhi stated in its daily report.

Areas near Lodhi Road recorded a minimum temperature of 3 degrees Celsius today morning and areas near Palam recorded a minimum of 6.2 degrees Celsius.

Amid shivering cold, heavy security forces were deployed near Red Fort and Singhu border to prevent any unlawful activities amid the ongoing farmer protests.

In addition, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) tweeted, "Mainly Clear Sky. Shallow to moderate fog is observed in the morning. Cold wave conditions at a few places."

In a tweet on January 25, IMD had informed, "Cold Wave to Severe Cold Wave conditions very likely in some pockets over Punjab Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi and Rajasthan during next 4-5 days."