New Delhi, Dec 6 || A thick blanket of smog covered the national Capital on Saturday, pushing Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) to 333, firmly in the ‘very poor’ category and slightly higher than Friday. The worsening pollution arrived alongside a sharp dip in temperatures, intensifying winter conditions across the city.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a cold wave alert for December 6, warning that minimum temperatures will hover around 8–9 degrees Celsius through December 10 amid shallow fog. The department added that Friday marked the coldest December morning of the season so far, with the mercury dropping to 5.6 degrees Celsius — nearly four degrees below normal.
CPCB data recorded at 7 am showed Mundka reporting the worst air quality with an AQI of 381. Of Delhi’s 39 monitoring stations, 35 registered readings in the ‘very poor’ category, while four reported ‘poor’ air quality. IGI Airport recorded an AQI of 263.