Delhi`s air quality slips to `severe` category again, overall AQI at 430

NEW DELHI: After a slight improvement on Saturday, Delhi's air quality slipped to the 'severe' category again, with the city recording an overall AQI of 430 on Sunday.

Delhi's air quality again slips to the 'severe' category, with the city recording an overall AQI of 430, the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) said this morning.

The air quality of the national capital on Saturday was recorded in the 'severe' category for the fifth consecutive day, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted a generally cloudy sky with light rain on Sunday. The city's 24-hour average air quality index read 431 at 4 pm. It was 415 on Friday, 423 on Thursday, 407 on Wednesday and 402 on Tuesday.

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', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

The city has recorded 23 'severe' air quality days this year so far. In November, it recorded 11 such days, the highest in the month since the Central Pollution Control Board started maintaining air quality data in 2015.

The IMD said humidity levels oscillated between 74 per cent and 95 per cent. On Saturday, Delhi's minimum temperature settled at 7 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal, and the maximum was recorded at 23.6 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average.

The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle at 22 and 8 degrees Celsius, respectively, on Sunday, the weather department said.