Delhi AQI remains ‘moderate’ as winter approaches; dip in air quality likely in coming days

On October 12, the AQI remained in the ‘moderate’ category, with a CPCB reading of 199 at 4 pm.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the air quality will remain in the moderate category on October 14, deteriorating to ‘poor’ category on October 15.

The PM2.5 concentration on Monday was measured at 103 µg/m³, far exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO) limit of 15 µg/m³. According to the WHO, “exposure to PM2.5 can cause diseases affecting both the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, including stroke, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).”

Delhi weather forecast

At 5.30 am on Monday, the temperature in Delhi was 20 degree Celsius, with 94 per cent humidity.

Around this time of the year, stubble burning across Punjab and Haryana typically contributes to the decline in air quality. However, this year, the national capital has experienced relatively cooler mornings and uncharacteristically cleaner air well into October.

The AQI scale categorises air quality as follows: Good (0–50), Satisfactory (51–100), Moderately Polluted (101–200), Poor (201–300), Very Poor (301–400), and Severe (401–500) — the higher the reading, the more harmful it becomes to breathe.

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