Delhi AQI very poor: Rohini, Anand Vihar 'smoking over 20 cigarettes' daily

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that pollution hotspots like Anand Vihar, Rohini, and Mundka were the hardest hit, with AQI levels exceeding 400

The air quality in Delhi remained in the 'very poor' category, with an air quality index (AQI) of 355, offering no relief for residents. The morning hours were shrouded in fog and mist, further reducing visibility at the airport and other parts of the city.

 

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that pollution hotspots like Anand Vihar, Rohini, and Mundka were the worst affected, with AQI levels exceeding 400, indicating ‘severe’ air quality.

Delhi AQI levels at 8:00 am:

Dwarka: 367

Indira Gandhi International Airport: 342

IHBAS: 304

ITO: 348

Jahangirpuri: 417

Lodhi Road: 313

Dhyan Chand Stadium: 352

Mandir Marg: 335

Mundka: 404

Anand Vihar: 403

Punjabi Bagh: 379

Rohini: 415

Is relief from pollution expected anytime soon?

According to CPCB, the ventilation index in Delhi was likely to be 15,000 square metres per second (m²/s). This index measures the atmosphere's capacity to disperse air pollutants. A ventilation index lower than 6,000 m²/s with an average wind speed of less than 10 kilometres per hour (kmph) is unfavourable for the dispersion of pollutants.

 

The anti-pollution body also warned that the current meteorological conditions are extremely unfavourable for the effective dispersion of pollutants, indicating that no relief is likely for Delhi residents anytime soon. The CPCB predicted ‘very poor’ air quality levels for the coming week.

 

'Severe' air quality equivalent to smoking 25 cigarettes

Such pollution levels are harmful even for healthy people, who become vulnerable to potential respiratory illness in the long term after prolonged exposure to toxic air. Despite the health risks, many people were seen without masks in metro stations and public spaces.

 

When the air quality is in the range of 450-500, it is equivalent to smoking 25-30 cigarettes in terms of bodily harm, according to Arvind Kumar, a senior lung specialist at Medanta Hospital, Gurugram. He cautioned that all age groups, including unborn children, are at risk due to such high pollution levels.

 

When a mother inhales toxins, they enter her lungs, then pass into the blood and reach the foetus through the placenta, causing harm to the child, he explained.