Delhi’s air quality saw a slight improvement on Friday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 183, categorizing it as ‘moderate,’ as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The city had previously recorded a ‘poor’ AQI of 209 on Thursday and 294 on Wednesday morning. Various monitoring stations in Delhi reported moderate to poor air quality levels, with readings ranging from 144 to 261 AQI.
The national Capital experienced a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius around 7 a.m. with humidity at 95 percent, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The AQI classification considers readings between 0 and 50 as ‘good,’ 51 to 100 as ‘satisfactory,’ 101 to 200 as ‘moderate,’ 201 to 300 as ‘poor,’ and 301 to 400 as ‘very poor.’
Delhi has been having warmer afternoons lately, while mornings still bring a chill due to light mist. The IMD forecasts a minimum temperature of around 11 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 27 degrees Celsius on Friday. The city is expected to have mist in the morning followed by partly cloudy conditions later in the day.
Skies are predicted to be mainly clear on February 14 and 15, partly cloudy on February 13 and 16, and generally cloudy on February 17 and 18. The temperatures are likely to stay consistent this week, with warmer days ahead and misty mornings continuing.
The air quality data has sparked a political discussion in Delhi, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) questioning the installation of new AQI monitoring stations in green areas by the BJP-led government. AAP’s Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj criticized the move, alleging an attempt to manipulate pollution readings instead of addressing the root causes of air pollution. He accused the BJP government of focusing on improving air quality data “on paper” rather than tackling pollution sources directly.
