New Delhi, Dec 8 || Air quality in Delhi and the wider National Capital Region (NCR) continued to remain in the very poor range on Monday morning, extending the ongoing phase of hazardous pollution already gripping the region for several weeks.
The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 318, showing a marginal rise compared to Sunday’s reading.
The city on Sunday witnessed slightly clearer skies and a minor improvement in air quality, offering residents brief relief from persistent smog. The real-time AQI stood at 277, a slight improvement from the previous day. Despite this, pollution levels remained significantly high. PM10 concentrations were measured at 263 µg/m³, while PM2.5 levels stood at 199 µg/m³.
Among Delhi’s monitoring stations, Bawana recorded the highest AQI level at 368 on Monday. Other stations, such as Anand Vihar and Pusa, also reported severely polluted air with readings above 350.
In adjoining NCR cities, Noida and Ghaziabad registered AQI levels of 333 and 325, respectively, placing them in the 'poor' category. Air quality was comparatively better in Gurugram and Faridabad, where readings were reported at 282 (poor) and 200 (moderate).