Air quality of NCR cities Delhi, Gurugram and Noida worsens to ‘very poor’ category

Current values can cause respiratory illness on prolonged exposure

Chemical dust suppressant (magnesium chloride mixed with water) being sprinkled by EDMC tanker near ISBT Anand Vihar to control the rising air pollution level as the air quality index worsen, in Delhi on Thursday, October 22, 2020.

The air quality of Delhi , Gurugram and Noida, which are part of the NCR (National Capital Region), was in the “very poor” category on Friday morning, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

The AQI (Air Quality Index) of Delhi was 365 at 8 a.m. on Friday and the values for Gurugram and Noida were 318 and 386 respectively. All three values are in the “red” category and it can cause “respiratory illness on prolonged exposure”, according to the CPCB.

An AQI between 0 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 AQI of Delhi and Gurugram was in the “poor” category and Noida’s was in the lower end of “very poor”, as per CPCB’s 4 p.m. bulletin on Thursday, which is an average of the past 24 hours.