Monsoon update: Parts of north India to wait little longer for rainfall as IMD predicts slow progress

India Pollution Tracker: Check AQI today in Delhi, Mumbai and other major cities

By administrator_India

Capital sands

Air quality has been deteriorating across India amid falling temperatures. Over the last three months, the Air Quality Index (AQI) has fallen dangerously low in the northern regions of the country, especially in New Delhi, where it is on the brink of an “emergency” level.

While the AQI hovering in the “hazardous” levels (especially in the late stages of winter) has been a concern for many years, medical experts have warned that air pollution can aggravate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Faced with rising air pollution in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR), the Centre had introduced a new law through an ordinance that puts in place a powerful oversight body and provides for up to five years of jail term and Rs 1 crore fine for violators with immediate effect.

Here’s the AQI of major Indian cities as of 6.55 am on January 18:

CITY AQI PM2.5
New Delhi 345 193
Mumbai, Maharashtra 182 44
Kolkata, West Bengal 318 151
Chennai, Tamil Nadu 57 34
Hyderabad, Telangana 63 35
Bengaluru, Karnataka 82 38
Ahmedabad, Gujarat 318 143

PM2.5 is the mixture of solid particulate matter and liquid droplets found in the air. Breathing such air can affect the heart and cause chronic cardiovascular problems.

AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good”, 51–100 is “satisfactory”, 101–200 is “moderately polluted”, 201–300 is “poor”, 301–400 is “very poor” and 401–500 is considered “severe”. The categorization may vary depending on the monitoring agency.

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