Delhi Covered In Thick Smog As Air Quality Remains In ‘Severe’ Category, AQI At 432

Delhi residents woke up on Thursday, November 14, to a thick layer of smog blanketing the city for the second consecutive day. The national capital's Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the "severe" category, raising concerns about air pollution levels.

Delhi AQI stood at 432 at 6 a.m. today, according to the real-time data provided by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This was higher than the AQI of 429 recorded on Wednesday.

Several areas in the city saw a “severe” AQI early in the morning. According to CPCB data at 6 a.m., the AQI in various parts of Delhi was alarmingly high, with Anand Vihar recording 473, Dwarka 457, IGI Airport (T3) 436, ITO 423, Mundka 461, and RK Puram 457, among others.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is classified as "Good," while an AQI between 51 and 100 is considered "Satisfactory." An AQI ranging from 101 to 200 is labelled as "Moderate," 201 to 300 as "Poor," 301 to 400 as "Very Poor," and 401 to 450 as "Severe." An AQI above 450 is categorised as "Severe-Plus."

Delhi’s neighbouring cities also recorded bad air quality on Thursday. Ghaziabad choked with an AQI of 378, Noida was at 372 and Gurugram also at 372. 

Long-term exposure to the “very poor” air category can result in respiratory issues. Meanwhile, a “severe” AQI can affect even healthy people and can have a serious impact on those with underlying respiratory problems.

Delhi’s AQI turned to the ‘severe’ category for the first time this season on Wednesday. The Commission for Air Quality Management described the unusually dense fog as an "episodic event" and stated that it would closely monitor the situation before implementing stricter measures under GRAP Stage III.

Meanwhile, Mumbai AQI at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport stood at 120 at 6 am, as per CPCB data. The Kendriya Vidyalaya station at Lucknow recorded an AQI of 333.

The thick blanket of smog reduced visibility in Delhi, along with several other cities. Domestic carrier IndiGo posted a travel advisory on its social media handles, asking passengers to keep a tab of their flight status due to possible delays amid “winter fog”.

“This morning, winter fog may impact flights to/from Amritsar, Varanasi & Delhi. Do keep a tab on your flight status before heading to the airport. Also, please allow additional travel time as road traffic may move slower than usual due to low visibility. Thank you for your patience, and we wish you a smooth journey,” it wrote on X.

At 5:30 am, Punjab’s Amritsar and Pathankot airports reported ‘zero visibility’. At 7 am, the visibility at Gorakhpur airport in Uttar Pradesh dropped to zero.