Air quality in Delhi remains very poor, AQI recorded at 311

According to reports from the India Meteorological Department and the Commission for Air Quality Management, the air quality in Delhi has remained in the 'very poor' category. On Tuesday morning, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 311, placing it in the 'very poor' category. A change in the city's atmosphere is being observed in this situation.

As per data from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the AQI was recorded at 344 at 4 PM on Monday. Compared to the figure of 376 recorded at the same time on Sunday, the day of Diwali, a decrease is observed. However, differences of opinion are being seen among various institutions regarding these pollution figures.

According to a report by PTI, Delhi has experienced its most polluted Diwali in the last five years. However, the severity of pollution is likely to be higher than official figures. This is because several monitoring stations in the capital went offline on Sunday night during the time when firecrackers were being burst. Due to this, difficulty was faced in providing a complete account of the actual situation.

AQI readings released by private agencies show a worse situation than government figures. According to private agencies, the air in most parts of Delhi-NCR had reached hazardous levels, leading experts to express doubt over government data. AQI.in recorded an AQI of 637 in Delhi on Monday morning, classifying the air quality in the 'hazardous' category. The platform also reported that the city's AQI had reached a peak of 2,283 after Diwali.

Readers should note that this discrepancy between government and private agencies has once again raised questions regarding monitoring network coverage, data availability, differences in measurement parameters, and averaging methods. This matter had been a subject of discussion previously as well.

Regarding weather conditions, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast partly cloudy skies in Delhi on Tuesday. There is a possibility of moderate fog at most places in the morning. The maximum temperature in Delhi is expected to be between 27°C to 29°C and the minimum temperature between 14°C to 16°C. According to the Meteorological Department, the minimum temperature will remain around normal (-1.5°C to 1.5°C) at most places, while the maximum temperature will be below normal (-1.6°C to -3.0°C) at most places.

Additionally, the Meteorological Department has also forecast heavy rainfall in South India and the Western Himalayan region. There is a possibility of isolated heavy rainfall in Tamil Nadu on 9 and 10 November. In the Kashmir Valley, isolated heavy rainfall or snowfall has been forecast on 12 and 13 November, 2026, under the influence of a Western Disturbance. Besides this, there is a possibility of heavy rainfall in Andaman and Nicobar Islands between 10 to 14 November and in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura on 11 November.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a measure of air pollution in the atmosphere, determined based on the levels of various pollutants. It is generally a method used to indicate how pure or polluted the air is.