OMM Newsroom
Air pollution in India’s capital, Delhi, remained in the “severe” category on Friday, with readings exceeding 450 at some monitoring stations, according to official data reported by Anadolu Agency.
Real-time data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that one station recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 488 out of 500 on Friday morning. Several other stations in the capital reported readings above 400 by the afternoon.
The AQI’s “severe” category ranges from 401 to 500. Swiss group “IQAir” recorded an AQI of 186 for Delhi on Friday and ranked it as the world’s most polluted city. The Swiss and Indian readings generally differ because they use different methodologies.
A thick layer of smog covered the city on Friday morning as pollution levels worsened. Last week, Delhi recorded its most polluted Diwali in five years, with an average AQI of 376.
Delhi authorities are also planning cloud-seeding trials to tackle rising air pollution. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the trials were part of an ongoing study and that information on how and when cloud seeding would be carried out, and when it might produce rainfall, would be provided once the study had yielded positive results and was complete. He added that the government was “consistently implementing all necessary measures.”
Air pollution has remained a persistent problem in New Delhi, particularly during winter, when farmers in neighbouring states burn crop residue. Emissions from those fires, together with pollution from coal-fired power plants, industry and vehicle traffic, further worsen the city’s air quality.
