Delhi on Thursday morning recorded a "severe" AQI of 423, continuing the trend from the previous day. The Central Pollution Control Board said the AQI has worsened due to dense fog.
Around 30 of the 36 AQI monitoring stations saw "severe" category in the past one day. Anand Vihar, one of the worst hit areas, recorded an AQI of 473 at 5am on Thursday, according to CPCB data.
This year, the running average for PM10 was recorded at 193.25 micrograms per cubic metre. This is worse than 184.25 micrograms per cubic metre in 2023. The average PM2.5 level has also surged to 88.22 micrograms per cubic metre this year compared to 82.75 micrograms per cubic metre the previous year.
If the Air Quality Index continues to deteriorate, the Commission of Air Quality Management could implement Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III. This could result is shutting schools for up to Class 5 student and banning construction activities.
GRAP Stage II was enforced on October 22 when the AQI began to worsen for the first time. GRAP Stage III is usually implemented when the AQI continues to be in "severe plus" category, which is above 450.
Punjab's Amritsar and Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur have also reported zero visibility. IndiGo had posted on X, urging flyers to track their flight status as some services could be delayed due to fog in Amritsar, Varanasi and Delhi.
Chandigarh saw an AQI of 415 in the "severe" category. Ghaziabad recorded an AQI of 378 while Noida witnessed its air quality dipping to 372 and Gurugram 323, all in the "very poor" category.
An AQI of 0-50 comes in the 'good' category, 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', 401-450 'severe' and above 450 'severe plus'.