New Delhi, Jan 24 || After several days of dense smog and hazardous pollution levels, Delhi-NCR saw a noticeable improvement in air quality on Saturday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) slipping to the 'poor' category at 264. The improvement followed the season's first spell of rain on Friday, which brought much-needed respite from persistently high pollution levels across the region.
As per data released by the Central Pollution Control Board, the average AQI recorded at 7 a.m. stood at 264. During the morning hours, air quality remained in the 'poor' category at 29 monitoring stations, while four stations each recorded 'very poor' and 'moderate' air quality.
Several locations continued to hover near the 'very poor' mark, with AQI readings at Anand Vihar at 300, Chandni Chowk at 313, Wazirpur at 305, Dwarka Sector-8 at 296, Okhla Phase 2 at 292 and Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range at 294.
In contrast, some areas showed a marked improvement compared to the previous days. NSIT recorded an AQI of 113, while Lodhi Road and Shadipur registered 173 and 187, respectively, reflecting relatively cleaner air.