Double Trouble: Delhi's Air Quality Turns 'Very Poor' Amid Dipping Mercury Levels, Improvement Unlikely on Friday

The AQI at Dhirpur entered the very poor category, with PM 2.5 at 332, under the 'very poor' category.

Experts said the air quality might remain in the 'very poor' category on Friday.

The AQI between 0 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.

In Pusa, PM2.5 was 245 under the 'very poor' category. At Lodhi Road, the Air Quality Index with PM2.5 concentration stood at 245 under the 'poor' category, and the PM10 levels stood at 163 under the moderate category. In Ayanagar, the PM2.5 was at 286 (poor), while the PM10 reached 156, in the 'moderate' category.

The Air Quality Index at the city's Mathura Road was also under the 'very poor' category, with PM2.5 at 312 and PM10 concentration at 255 under the 'poor' category.

Meanwhile, the Air Quality Index of Delhi's neighbouring city, Noida stood at 339 under the 'very poor' category and the PM10 concentration at 207 under the 'poor' category. Gurugram's AQI was reported at 303 under the 'very poor' category, and the PM10 levels stood at 146 under the 'moderate' category.

Delhiites woke up to a thin layer of fog and a cold day, with Palam weather station in Delhi recording a minimum temperature of 9.7°C, while Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 7°C.

A 'cold day' is when the minimum temperature is less than or equal to 10°C below normal and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5°C. A 'severe cold day' is when the maximum is 6.5°C or more below average.

A 'severe' cold wave is when the minimum temperature dips to 2°C or the departure from usual is more than 6.4°C.

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The above article has been published from a wire source with minimal modifications to the headline and text.