As the national capital woke up to reduced visibility due to shallow fog, the air quality Friday continued to stay in the upper end of the ‘very poor’ category. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 383 as of 8 am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Several areas of Delhi including Bawana (440), Mundka (428),  New Moti Bagh (427), Rohini (439), Punjabi Bagh (406), and RK Puram (406) witnessed an AQI of over 400, as per data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

As per an analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), vehicular emission is the top contributor to Delhi’s toxic air in winter. It has a bigger contribution than stubble burning, road dust, or firecrackers and over 50% of pollution from local sources is linked to the city’s transportation system.

Local pollution sources in Delhi account for 30.34% of the city’s air pollution (50.1% of which is contributed through transportation), while 34.97% originates from neighbouring NCR districts and 27.94% from other areas.

Stubble burning contributes only 8.19% to Delhi’s pollution.

Given the current conditions, Delhi’s AQI is likely to drop into the “severe” category in many areas, continuing to pose significant health risks.

Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata

Mumbai and Pune maintained their air quality in the ‘moderate category’ with an AQI of 123 and 114, respectively. They are likely to remain ‘moderate’ till Saturday.

Kolkata (163) remains under the ‘moderate’ category as well.

Bengaluru

The overall air quality of Bengaluru was observed under ‘satisfactory’ category on Friday morning with AQI of 81.

Air quality in Lucknow, Patna improves

Air quality in both cities — Lucknow (159) and Patna (184) showed slight improvement.  Meanwhile, Ahmedabad enjoyed ‘satisfactory’ air quality with AQI level of 62.

AQI readings are classified as follows: 0-50 is good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor, and above 400 is severe.