New Delhi, Jan 8 (NationPress) - On the morning of Thursday, Delhi witnessed a slight enhancement in its air quality, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) measuring at 279 at 7:05 a.m., which categorizes it as ‘poor’, based on data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Sameer app. Despite this minor improvement in pollution levels, the Delhi-NCR region continued to suffer from severe cold wave conditions for the second consecutive day, as dense fog and chilly winds resulted in a significant drop in temperatures across the area.

This was a modest enhancement from Wednesday, where the national capital reported an AQI of 302 at the same time, categorizing the air quality as ‘very poor’.

Nevertheless, air quality remained critically poor in various parts of the city. Nehru Nagar reported the worst air quality in Delhi with an AQI of 344, followed by Anand Vihar at 337 and Jahangirpuri at 332. R.K. Puram also stayed in the very poor category with an AQI of 326.

Vivek Vihar and Chandni Chowk each noted an AQI of 322, while the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range recorded 320. Sirifort was at 319 and Okhla Phase-2 logged an AQI of 313. Dwarka Sector 8 and Wazirpur reported similar readings, both at 311.

Patparganj recorded an AQI of 307, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium noted 306, Pusa stood at 305, and Rohini at 301, with all these areas classified as ‘very poor’.

Several other regions logged air quality within the ‘poor’ range. Sonia Vihar and IHBAS Dilshad Garden both recorded an AQI of 298, followed by Mundka at 297. Ashok Vihar and Punjabi Bagh stood at 296 each.

Narela and Sri Aurobindo Marg recorded an AQI of 281, while the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium stood at 276. ITO recorded an AQI of 271, DTU at 269, and Alipur at 268.

Shadipur reported an AQI of 266, Najafgarh at 255, and North Campus, Delhi University at 247. The AQI at Aya Nagar was 244, CRRI Mathura Road at 238, and IIT Delhi at 237.

Burari Crossing recorded an AQI of 234, Lodhi Road 226, and Mandir Marg 208, which matched the reading at IGI Airport Terminal 3. NSIT Dwarka had an AQI of 207.

Bawana was the only location in the city with ‘moderate’ air quality, at an AQI of 174.

According to CPCB standards, an AQI of 0 to 50 is rated as ‘good’, 51 to 100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 as ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 as ‘poor’, 301 to 400 as ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 as ‘severe’.

Meanwhile, the Delhi-NCR region continued to endure intense cold wave conditions for the second day in a row. Thick fog and cold northwesterly winds exacerbated the chill and diminished visibility in numerous areas. The highest temperature on Wednesday (January 7) was recorded at 16.7 degrees Celsius, slightly higher than the 15.7 degrees Celsius recorded on Tuesday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted a significant increase in maximum temperatures on Thursday, with no considerable changes anticipated in the upcoming days across the national capital region. The Meteorological Department has also predicted moderate to dense fog in Delhi and upper-level fog across the Indo-Gangetic Plain on Thursday (January 8).

Cold conditions are expected to escalate over northern India until January 15. A yellow alert has been issued, forecasting moderate fog in numerous locations and dense fog at isolated spots during morning hours. Following that, a partly cloudy sky with shallow to moderate fog is predicted until January 13.