Winds continue to carry off pollutants; improve Delhi air

The marginal improvement in air pollution that Delhi residents have experienced owing to strong winds over the past few days continued on Wednesday with the air quality remaining in the lower end of "very poor", data showed.

However, experts warn that this temporary relief may not last, with pollution levels likely to rise over the weekend as wind speeds decrease.

The 24-hour average of the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 303 ("very poor") at 4pm, when the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) takes its daily reading for a city. By 10pm, the AQI was recorded at 300.

This was a notable improvement from Tuesday's AQI of 343 ("very poor"), CPCB data showed.

Out of the 38 monitoring stations providing data in Delhi on Wednesday, 17 recorded "poor" air quality, while the remaining 21 were in the "very poor" zone.

In contrast, Delhi's satellite towns fared better, with Faridabad's AQI at 186 ("moderate") and Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Greater Noida falling in the "poor" category with AQI readings of 207, 215, 217, and 230, respectively.

CPCB classifies AQI between 0 and 50 as "good", between 51 and 100 as "satisfactory", between 101 and 200 as "moderate", between 201 and 300 as "poor", between 301 and 400 as "very poor", and over 400 as "severe".