Delhi Gripped by Intense Cold and Poor Air Quality
Residents of Delhi woke up to another freezing morning on Tuesday. The mercury plunged to a chilling 3 degrees Celsius. A severe cold wave and thick fog continued to blanket the national capital.
Air Quality Concerns Persist
Air pollution remained a serious issue for the city. The overall Air Quality Index stayed in the "very poor" category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi's AQI registered at 337 as of 8 am.
Several neighborhoods recorded alarmingly high pollution levels. Many areas showed readings well above 300 on the AQI scale. This indicates very poor air quality conditions across multiple parts of the city.
Pollution Hotspots Across Delhi
Specific monitoring stations reported concerning numbers. The data reveals widespread air quality problems:
- Anand Vihar recorded the highest reading at 411
- Rohini registered 397
- Dwarka Sector 8 measured 384
- Chandni Chowk showed 380
- Wazirpur reported 375
- Patparganj and Vivek Vihar both recorded 366
- RK Puram registered 365
- Nehru Nagar measured 358
- Jahangirpuri showed 357
- Siri Fort recorded 342
- Okhla Phase 2 reported 296
Understanding AQI Categories
The Air Quality Index uses specific ranges to classify pollution levels. These categories help residents understand the severity of air quality conditions:
- 0-50: Good air quality
- 51-100: Satisfactory conditions
- 101-200: Moderate pollution
- 201-300: Poor air quality
- 301-400: Very poor conditions
- 401-500: Severe pollution levels
Continuing Cold Wave Conditions
The cold spell intensified across Delhi. On Monday, temperatures dropped sharply throughout the capital. Ayanagar recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 2.9 degrees Celsius according to weather officials.
Sunday night brought particularly harsh conditions to several areas. Temperatures approached the three-degree mark in multiple locations. Palam recorded 3.0 degrees Celsius, marking its lowest temperature in several years.
Weather experts indicate that similar cold conditions will likely continue throughout Tuesday. The India Meteorological Department expects the chilly weather pattern to persist.
Temperature Readings Across Stations
Different weather monitoring stations reported varying temperatures:
- Safdarjung recorded 4.8 degrees Celsius on Sunday night
- Forecasters expect Safdarjung temperatures to drop to around 3 degrees Celsius tonight
- The Ridge station measured a minimum of 3.7 degrees Celsius
- The maximum temperature at The Ridge reached 18.8 degrees Celsius
The combination of freezing temperatures and poor air quality creates challenging conditions for Delhi residents. People continue to face health risks from both the extreme cold and high pollution levels.
