Delhi air pollution: This area in Delhi has an AQI of 1,300 today, claims Swiss monitor
The AQI in Vasant Vihar's C Block area was 1,336 at 11.55 am, as per Swiss air quality monitor IQAir. An AQI above 300 is considered 'hazardous' for humans.
Delhi and its adjoining areas on Thursday woke up to another day of dense smog accompanied by winter chill, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) going as high as 1,300 in parts of the national capital, as per a Swiss monitoring portal, and the minimum temperature in the city dipping to 11 degrees Celsius in the Ridge area.
As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) readings, the New Delhi-Ridge area logged minimum temperature on Thursday at 11.2 Degrees celsius, a departure of over four degrees from normal.
Delhi and nearby areas of Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram saw their first dense fog on Wednesday, triggering possibilities of the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) being enforced. GRAP, a set of emergency measures to reduce air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, is implemented by the commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) when the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaches a certain level.
The AQI for PM2.5 around Delhi's VV (Vasant Vihar) Block C area was over 1,300 - hazardous category - at around 11 am on Thursday, as per Swiss air quality technology company IQAir. The AQI for Dwarka-Sector 8 area was at 1051 - hazardous category - around the same time, according to IQAir figures. Meanwhile, as per Central Control Pollution Board (CPCB) readings, the AQI in the same area at the same time was around 466 (PM2.5).
Meanwhile, according to the Central Control Pollution Board (CPCB), the AQI in the same area at the same time was around 466 (PM2.5).
Also read: Delhi Airport issues advisory as thick smog engulfs city
Apart from Dwarka, the areas around US Embassy, Sirifort, and Punjabi Bagh also logged an AQI of between 740 and 980, the hazardous category, as per IQAir readings.
AQI figures differ across portals as the numbers reported around the world are being derived from a mix of computer modeling and satellite data.
How IQAir Calculates AQI
IQAir calculates the Air Quality Index using measurements from a global network of government monitoring stations and its own sensors.
Platforms such as IQAir update the AQI of a city and its different regions much faster with real-time data, while the CPCB gives one reading which applies to the region for a day. Due to this, the AQI readings in IQAir are likely to always be fluctuating as it is reacting to changes on an hourly basis.
According to CPCB measures, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", 401 and 450 "severe" and above 450 "severe plus". IQAir lists an AQI of 301 and above under the hazardous category.
According to the Centre's Decision Support System for Air Quality Management, vehicular emission was the top contributor to Delhi's pollution on Wednesday, with an estimated share of 13.3 per cent. The other prominent pollutants were PM2.5 and PM10.
PM2.5 and PM10 refer to fine particulate matter in the air, with the numbers indicating their size in micrometre.
PM2.5 are fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometre or less, equivalent to the width of a human hair. These are so small that they can go deep into the lungs and even the bloodstream, posing major health risks.
PM10, meanwhile, are coarser particles with a diameter of 10 micrometre or less, about the width of 10 human hairs. Even though they are not as concerning as PM2.5, these can still irritate the airways and worsen respiratory problems.