Punjab Newsline | New Delhi

Air pollution worsened across Delhi-NCR following Diwali celebrations, with several areas recording alarming air quality levels on Monday morning. Noida's Sector 62 emerged as one of the worst-affected locations, recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 427 by 9 am, placing it in the severe category.

According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, Delhi's ITO recorded an AQI of 406 at around 4:20 am, also falling in the severe category. A thick blanket of smog covered several parts of the national capital and neighbouring areas during the early morning hours, affecting visibility.

At Safdarjung, visibility plunged to just 50 metres at 6:30 am on Monday, compared to 700 metres at the same time a day earlier, marking a sharp decline of 650 metres. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) observations, dense fog was recorded at Safdarjung.

At Palam, visibility dropped from 800 metres to 400 metres, with moderate fog reported.

Several other locations in Delhi recorded 'very poor' air quality during the morning. The AQI stood at 370 on Ring Road, 338 at DND Flyway, 364 in RK Puram and 337 in Mayur Vihar. Greater Noida recorded an AQI of 293, falling in the 'poor' category.

CPCB's 1 am readings highlighted the severity of pollution across the national capital. Jahangirpuri recorded the highest AQI at 447, followed by North Campus at 445, Rohini and Vivek Vihar at 442 each, Bawana at 434, Chandni Chowk and DTU at 430 each, and Patparganj at 421.

Other Delhi locations also reported high pollution levels, including Alipur (413), Punjabi Bagh (416), Mundka (405), ITO (407), Ashok Vihar (340), Anand Vihar (352), Badarpur (354), Aya Nagar (352), Lodhi Road (362), Okhla Phase 2 (364) and Dwarka Sector 8 (393). The AQI at IGI Airport Terminal 3 stood at 323.

Noida also witnessed poor air quality across multiple sectors. At 1 am, Sector 62 recorded an AQI of 445, followed by Sector 110 at 321, Sector 150 at 315, Sector 1 and Sector 39 at 301 each. Sector 125 recorded 296, while Sector 116 stood at 292.

The situation remained concerning in Ghaziabad as well. Govindpuram recorded an AQI of 342, Indirapuram 317, Loni 390, Vasundhara 300 and Wave City 378. Sanjay Nagar reported an AQI of 287.

In Gurugram, CPCB readings at 3 am showed an AQI of 372 at Teri Gram, 344 at Vikas Sadan, 263 in Sector 51 and 232 at the NISE Gwal Pahari monitoring station.

The post-Diwali pollution spike has pushed several monitoring stations across Delhi-NCR into the severe category, while dense smog and reduced visibility have added to commuters' difficulties during the morning rush hours.