New Delhi: Delhi gasped for a breath this morning as the Air Quality Index (AQI) re-entered the “severe” category in several areas, shortly after the bursting of firecrackers across the National Capital Region on Diwali wiped out the improvement in air quality due to a spell of rain.
This morning, Delhi residents woke up to a choking smog cover that reduced visibility and intensified their struggle to breathe.
The AQI in the national capital, which had slipped to “very poor” yesterday as smoke from firecrackers joined air pollution due to stubble burning in north India, has now deteriorated further, data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed.
While the air quality index in ITO was pegged at 430 at 6 AM, the AQI in Jahangirpuri was recorded at 428, according to the CPCB data.
The AQI in RK Puram was 417, while in Punjabi Bagh, it was 410.