New Delhi, Oct 24 The national capital’s air quality improved to the “moderate” category on Saturday after three consecutive days of “poor” air, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) dropping to 191 from 230 a day earlier.
According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI was recorded at 4 pm at 191 on Saturday, compared with 230 at the same time on Friday.
The improvement comes as Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa highlighted a year-on-year decline in the city’s AQI on October 23, which stood at 230 in 2026, against 305 in 2025 and 364 in 2024.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sirsa said, “We’re making steady progress, but the fight is far from over. The Delhi Government is working in war mode to curb pollution and is doing everything possible to give Delhi cleaner air.”
According to the CPCB standards, an AQI of 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’.
The city recorded a slight dip in minimum temperatures on Saturday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting partly cloudy skies over the next few days.
Safdarjung, considered representative of Delhi’s weather, recorded a low of 18.3 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees above normal but 0.7 degree lower than the previous day. The maximum temperature stood at 32.9 degrees Celsius.
Other weather stations also recorded a slight decline in minimum temperatures. Palam registered a low of 17.6 degrees Celsius, 0.7 degree below than the previous day, while Lodhi Road recorded a minimum of 17.6 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar 17 degrees Celsius.
“Partly cloudy skies are expected to persist for the next few days,” an IMD official said.
(PTI News)
