Delhi wakes up to ‘very poor’ air quality with AQI at 381, cold wave conditions prevail

The residents of Delhi once again woke up to no respite from the deteriorating air quality in the national capital. The air quality recorded on the morning of January 3 remained in the ‘very poor’ category, with little to no relief from the air pollution experienced.

According to the data released by the Ministry of Earth Sciences' System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the air quality in the national capital remained in the ‘very poor’ category, while the AQI of Delhi stood at 381 in the morning.

According to the weather agencies, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate, 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe". 

Delhi | Air Quality Index (AQI) is presently at 381 (overall) in the 'very poor' category, as per System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR)-India

— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2022

Apart from the high pollution levels and low air quality, Delhi also woke up to a chilly morning, with the cold wave conditions persisting in the city. On Sunday morning, the minimum temperature in Delhi was 5 degrees Celsius, which are two notches below normal.

According to the later weather forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the cold wave conditions in Delhi and several other northern states are likely to prevail till January 5. Delhi might also witness light rains during this week.

On Monday morning, the airport authorities in Delhi also reported low visibility, most likely due to the cold weather and high pollution levels. The Delhi airport authorities said, “Low visibility procedures are in progress at Delhi airport. All flight operations are presently normal."

Parts of northwest India are likely to witness cold to severe cold wave conditions till January 3, as per IMD. A "severe" cold wave is when the minimum temperature dips to 2 degrees Celsius or the departure from normal is more than 6.4 degrees Celsius, as per the weather agencies.