New Delhi: Dense fog in the morning followed by toxic smog later in the day kept Delhi’s air quality in the severe category for a third consecutive day on Monday. The city’s average air quality index (AQI) stood at 427, a marginal improvement from Sunday’s severe-plus reading of 461, offering little real relief to residents.
The season’s first major fog episode, combined with cold conditions and calm winds, prevented the effective dispersal of pollutants. Of the city’s 39 air quality monitoring stations, 28 recorded air quality in the ‘severe’ category, compared with 38 stations a day earlier. Despite the slight reduction in the number of severely polluted locations, peak pollution levels, especially during the morning hours, remained largely unchanged.
