Delhi residents woke up to a blanket of thick smog on Sunday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) hovering around the ‘very poor’ mark. The AQI stood at a concerning 385 on Sunday morning, showing minimal improvement from Saturday’s 386. Iconic landmarks like India Gate were barely visible through the haze, disrupting the morning routines of joggers and walkers.
Areas such as Rajghat and ITO experienced even more severe air pollution, with AQI levels reaching 417, placing them in the ‘severe’ category. Other localities including Anand Vihar, Alipur, and Ashok Vihar also recorded AQI readings between 400 and 415, indicating dangerous air quality. Chandani Chowk recorded an AQI of 420, while Dwarka registered 378.
This severe air pollution coincides with dropping temperatures. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast minimum temperatures for Delhi to range between 9 to 11 degrees Celsius for Sunday. Yesterday, the capital recorded a low of 9.7 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the IMD has also issued various weather alerts for other parts of the country, including heavy rainfall warnings for Tamil Nadu and cold wave conditions for several northern and central states.