The air quality in Delhi slipped into the ‘severe’ category after the Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed 400 on Thursday. Fresh data revealed that the quality of air was “okay” for only two days between November 1 and November 19.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said that the presence of toxic haze over the National Capital Region formed a blanket, and pollutants remained trapped due to low wind speed and dipping temperatures.

As per CPCB data, Wazirpur was the worst-affected area, with its AQI reaching 477, which falls into the ‘severe’ category, while Lodhi Road recorded 269 — the lowest AQI in the national capital.

According to the CPCB benchmark, an AQI between 0-50 is ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe

See Full Page