Delhi’s air quality further deteriorates as city reels under cold wave conditions

New Delhi [India], December 15 (ANI): The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital on Sunday continued to be in the ‘poor category’ with further deterioration as the city experienced cold wave conditions.

According to the CPCB, the AQI was measured at 246 at 7 am in Delhi on Sunday. On Saturday, it was measured at 212. The temperature in the national capital also further dropped. According to the India Meteorological Department, the temperature in Delhi at 5.30 am on Sunday was recorded at 6 degrees Celsius. A day earlier it was 9.4 degrees Celsius.

In Anand Vihar, Alipur, Bawana and Burari Crossing, the AQI was recorded at 292, 256, 298 and 288 respectively.

In Dwarka Sec 8 AQI was recorded at 258, Nehru Nagar at 299, Rohini at 288, and Mundka at 317.

An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is severe.

Meanwhile, with temperature dropping to low single digits, multiple people across Delhi took refuge in shelter homes.

Visuals from the Jama Masjid area, AIIMS Delhi area and other areas showed people wearing thick blankets and trying to get some sleep in the cold conditions.

Ved Pal, who works at the shelter near AIIMS Delhi highlighted how over 40 people used the shelter on Saturday night.

“This is a family shelter, and here we give them a proper bed, and as many blankets as they want. They also get food twice a day, and get tea and rusk in the morning too,” he told ANI.

Talking about the medical facilities available, he said that a doctor visits them if anyone has a health problem, or they are taken to the nearby AIIMS hospital if needed.

“We have a first aid box here, and when the doctor visits we give the medicine through their orders, otherwise we try to also help them get to the hospital. We keep the general medicine like paracetamol,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department has warned of ‘cold wave to severe cold wave’ conditions in parts of North India, including Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

IMD scientist, Soma Sen Roy warned of the possibility of a 1-2-degree Celsius drop in temperature due to winds blowing in North India. She also said that the cold wave will last for one to two days in North and Central India.