Top News

New Delhi, 8 January. These days, the feeling of harsh winter has increased in the National Capital Region (NCR) due to the strong, cold winds. Cold winds in the morning and evening have forced people to remain confined in warm clothes. However, it is a matter of relief that due to these strong winds, a partial reduction in fog and air pollution is being recorded.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), State Pollution Control Board and various monitoring stations of the Meteorological Department, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in many areas of NCR has reached the Orange Zone i.e. ‘moderate to poor’ category. According to the data received from four active stations of Noida, AQI was recorded at 284 in Sector-125, 252 in Sector-62, 291 in Sector-1 and 307 in Sector-116.

It is clear from these data that in some areas the air still remains in poor category, while in some areas there has been improvement. The AQI in many parts of Delhi is still recorded in the poor to very poor category. AQI 333 in Anand Vihar, 318 in Chandni Chowk, 317 in Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, R.K. Puram recorded 324, Shrifort 319, Vivek Vihar 318 and Wazirpur 307.

At the same time, relatively better situation was also seen in some areas, like AQI was recorded 173 in Bawana, 217 on Lodhi Road and 202 on Mandir Marg. AQI was recorded at 269 in ITO area, 292 in Punjabi Bagh, 297 in Rohini and 275 in Narela. According to the data received from Ghaziabad stations, AQI was recorded at 237 in Indirapuram, 249 in Sanjay Nagar, 336 in Loni and 345 in Vasundhara. Air quality in areas like Loni and Vasundhara still remains close to severe category.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department, on January 8, the maximum temperature was recorded at 16 degrees and the minimum was 8 degrees Celsius. During this period, a warning of moderate to dense fog was issued in the morning and afternoon. Temperatures on January 9 and 10 are expected to be between 17 and 7–9 °C, with moderate fog expected, although no specific warnings have been issued for these days. While the strong cold winds in NCR have made the winter more severe, it has also provided some relief from air pollution and fog. Experts say that if the same speed of winds continues for the next few days, further improvement in AQI may be seen.