Delhi-NCR's air is toxic: The capital has turned into a gas chamber, and the situation has worsened in the NCR as well; the AQI has reached 500 in several areas.

Slow wind speeds and adverse weather conditions have turned Delhi into a gas chamber. For the third consecutive day on Monday, the air quality was recorded in the severe category. The morning began with haze and fog, and a thick blanket of smog was also visible. This resulted in extremely low visibility in many areas. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the average Air Quality Index (AQI) in the capital was recorded at 456 on Sunday morning.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at 7 AM, the AQI in Alipur, Delhi, was 449, Anand Vihar 493, Ashok Vihar 500, Aya Nagar 413, Bawana 472, Burari 454, and Chandni Chowk 438.

Meanwhile, the AQI was recorded at 482 in DTU, 464 in Dwarka Sector 8, 384 at IGI Airport T3, 469 in ITO, 500 in Jahangirpuri, 417 on Lodhi Road, 450 in Mundka, 410 in Najafgarh, 480 in Punjabi Bagh, 500 in Rohini, 493 in Vivek Vihar, 462 in Sonia Vihar, 482 in RK Puram, and 500 in Wazirpur.

Ghaziabad's AQI also crosses 400

The AQI in Ghaziabad has also crossed 400. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI was recorded at 490 in Vasundhara, 424 in Sanjay Nagar, and 477 in Indirapuram.

Noida's AQI is also above 400

In Noida, the AQI has also crossed 400 in several areas. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI of 461 was recorded in Sector 125, 420 in the Sector 62 area, and 486 in the Sector 116 area.

AQI recorded in Gurugram

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI of 462 was recorded at NISE Gwal Pahari in Gurugram, and 324 in the Sector 51 area. An AQI of 315 was recorded at TERI Gram and 310 at Vikas Sadan.

Faridabad's AQI

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI in Faridabad was recorded at 111 in Sector 30, 184 in New Industrial Town, and 342 in Sector 11.

No signs of relief

The wind speed in Delhi is generally less than ten kilometres per hour. Also, due to the increasing cold, the pollution particles are remaining in the atmosphere for a longer time. According to experts, there is no possibility of relief from the polluted air for the people of Delhi in the next three to four days.

Why is Delhi's air quality deteriorating?

According to experts, the main reason for the severe air quality is the weather pattern, especially the Western Disturbance, due to which the wind speed has been very low since Friday. According to Mahesh Palawat, Vice President of Skymet, this low wind speed has led to a significant increase in pollution levels. Pollutants such as vehicle exhaust and construction dust accumulate in the cold air. The pollutants do not get a chance to rise, so they remain trapped very close to the ground.