200 good or moderate air days so far in 2023: CAQM

A change in the wind direction and increase in temperatures managed to keep the Capital’s air quality in the “moderate” category for a second straight day — a relief after pollution levels increased briefly late last week owing to the annual farm fires and meteorological conditions. With this, Delhi for the second time since 2015 recorded 200 “good to moderate” air days so far this year, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR said.

The only other time 200 or more such days were recorded in the last eight years was in 2020, when a series of lockdowns were imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Monday, however, saw the air quality index (AQI) reading dip slightly to 175 in comparison to Sunday’s 164, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

“The total number of ‘good to moderate’ air quality days upto October 9 in the current year have been 200, compared to 154, 183 and 174 for 2022, 2021 and 2019 respectively for the corresponding period,” CAQM tweeted on Monday.