Delhi's air quality improves marginally, becomes 'very poor' from 'severe'

New Delhi : Delhi's air quality has improved marginally to 'very poor' on Monday, the AQI had shifted to severe in most parts amid firecracker bursting and stubble burning in Haryana and Punjab.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) the Air Quality Index (AQI) for New Delhi at 7AM stood at 384.

On Sunday, the average 24-hour AQI was 428, which was in the “severe” category. On Friday, the day after Diwali, blatant violation of a ban on firecrackers had resulted in the AQI shooting up to 462 - the worst post-Diwali air quality in New Delhi since 2016.

The CPCB classifies an AQI of zero to 50 as “good”, 51-100 as “satisfactory”, 101-200 as “moderate”, 201-300 as “poor”, 301-400 as “very poor” and above 401 as “severe”.

It must be noted that the Delhi government reported 21,623 stubble burning incidents in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Sunday with the help of NASA’s satellite.

Currently, steps under the “very poor” AQI category such as a ban on diesel generators and a three-to-four times increase in parking fees are in force across the city.