Delhi AQI: Delhi’s air turns ‘very poor’ as haze and fog blanket city; AQI hits ‘severe’ levels in several areas

NEW DELHI: A thick blanket of haze and fog descended over Delhi on Thursday morning, trapping pollutants close to the ground and pushing city’s air quality into the ‘very poor’ category after several days of being merely ‘poor’. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi recorded an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 357, sharply up from 279 a day earlier. Visibility plummeted across several parts of the city as calm winds and fog prevented pollutants from dispersing. The Air Quality Early Warning System noted that Delhi’s ventilation index — an indicator of how well the atmosphere can flush out pollutants — remained below the favourable mark of 6,000 m²/s. At 7.30am, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported visibility of 1,000 metres at Palam