Delhi NCR AQI News: Delhiites struggled under a blanket of smog covering the city as the quality of air remained in the 'very poor' to 'severe' categories in several parts in and around the National Capital Region (NCR). The national capital woke up to an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 428 (severe) at 9 am. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that the Delhi government will take all steps necessary if the situation worsens on account of adverse weather conditions. "We will strengthen all ongoing campaigns and actions to mitigate pollution," said Rai, stating that the Delhi government will ensure strict enforcement of pollution control measures under the second stage of the Graded Response Action Plan to counter the deteriorating air quality in the city. The Delhi Environment Minister also said that the third phase of the Plan will not be imposed yet as the situation is expected to improve starting Friday.

A Summary of Air Quality Index (AQI) Readings in several regions in and around NCR

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AQI readings from most neighborhoods in the national capital were in the severe category at 3 pm on November 14, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

These included Indira Gandhi Airport, Ashok Vihar, Dwarka, RK Puram, Okhla, IPO, North Campus and Chandni Chowk. 

Some of the regions where AQI levels were found to be in the 'very poor' category included Vasundhara and Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, and Sectors 1, 62 and 116 in Noida, in Uttar Pradesh. 

Take a look at data spanning a few regions across the NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, as of 3 pm, Thursday: 

Station AQI Category
Sector 8, Dwarka, Delhi 472 Severe
Ashok Vihar, Delhi 461 Severe
Wazirpur, Delhi 460 Severe
Anand Vihar, Delhi 458 Severe
Najafgarh, Delhi 457 Severe
RK Puram, Delhi 455 Severe 
NSIT, Dwarka, Delhi 453 Severe
IGI Airport (T3), Delhi 448 Severe 
Okhla Phase II, Delhi 441 Severe
Narela, Delhi 437 Severe
ITO, Delhi 412 Severe
North Campus, DU, Delhi 409 Severe
Chandni Chowk, Delhi 402 Severe
Loni, Ghaziabad, UP 399 Very Poor
Lodhi Road, Delhi 383 Very Poor
Vasundhara, Ghaziabad, UP 379 Very Poor
Sector 62, Noida, UP 376 Very Poor
Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, UP 366 Very Poor
Pallavpuram Phase 2, Meerut, UP 361 Very Poor
Sector 116, Noida, UP 345 Very Poor
Sector 1, Noida, UP 323 Very Poor
Arya Nagar, Bahadurgarh, Haryana 293 Poor
Municipal Corporation Office, Dharuhera, Haryana 293 Poor
Sanjay Nagar, Ghaziabad, UP 292 Poor
Murthal, Sonipat, Haryana 265 Poor
Sardar Patel Inter College, Baghpat, UP 242 Poor
Sector 2 IMT, Manesar, Haryana 228 Poor
Ganga Nagar, Meerut, UP 214 Poor
MD University, Rohtak, Haryana 192 Moderate
Shyam Nagar, Palwal, Haryana 169 Moderate
(Source: airquality.cpcb.gov.in)

What do 'good', 'satisfactory', 'moderately polluted', 'poor', 'very poor' and 'severe' AQI categories indicate? 

Here's a breakup of what the AQI readings tell about quality of air:
  • 0-50 - Good
  • 51-100 - Satisfactory
  • 101-200 - Moderate
  • 201-300 - Poor
  • 301-400 - Very Poor
  • 401-500 - Severe

The Air Quality Index captures changes in the quality of air in a particular region over a given period factoring in several factors including the concentration of pollutants and their likely impacts on health.  

With inputs from agencies