New Delhi, Jan 16 || The air quality deteriorated sharply on Friday morning in Delhi-NCR, with several areas recording Air Quality Index (AQI) levels in the “very poor” category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The worsening pollution coincided with cold wave conditions and dense fog across the city, adding to health and travel concerns.
At 7 a.m., Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 354, placing it firmly in the “very poor” category. Other pollution hotspots also reported alarming levels, with Ashok Vihar at 367, ITO at 362, RK Puram at 374, and Patparganj at 372.
Wazirpur and Chandni Chowk recorded AQI readings of 374 and 370, respectively, while Dwarka Sector 8 stood at 369. An AQI reading between 301 and 400 is classified as “very poor” and can cause respiratory illness on prolonged exposure.
According to the AQI scale, values between 0–50 are considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’.