Delhi AQI at 461 sets record for 2nd-worst Dec day

THE AQI IN Delhi climbed to 461 on Sunday and marked the city’s most polluted day this winter and the second-worst December air quality day on record, as weak winds and low temperatures trapped pollutants close to the surface.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

The air quality monitoring station at Wazirpur recorded the maximum possible Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 500 during the day, beyond which the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) does not register data.

By 4 pm, 38 of Delhi’s 39 active air quality monitoring stations reported ‘severe’ pollution levels, according to the CPCB's Sameer app, with only Shadipur remaining in the ‘very poor' category.

Rohini also touched 500 during the day, while Ashok Vihar, Jahangirpuri and Mundka recorded AQI readings of 499.

Dense smog engulfed the national capital, and the AQI rose from 432 a day earlier to set the record — since the AQI monitoring system was introduced in April 2015.

The only instance of higher pollution in the month was on December 21, 2017, when the average AQI reached 469.