• Source:JND
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Delhi's air quality continues to deteriorate, with the AQI exceeding 500 as of early Saturday morning. Recorded at 507 around 5 am, the capital's air quality has reached the "severe plus" category. A dense layer of smog blanketed the city, pushing Delhi-NCR's PM2.5 levels to over 65 times the WHO-prescribed limit, according to data from the IQAir website.

The areas where air was recorded in ‘very poor’ category include-- Alipur, Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Aaya Nagar, Bawana, Burari, Mathura Road, IGI Airport, Dwarka, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Narela, Patparganj, Rohini, Shadipur, Sonia Vihar, Wazirpur, Mandir Marg, Nehru Nagar, Najafgarh, as per the Sameer app.

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Since Diwali, many major cities across the country have been suffering from pollution. On Saturday, Amritsar's average Air Quality Index (AQI) once again crossed 350, making it the most polluted city in the country that day.

In Amritsar, the average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 364, while in Ludhiana, it stood at 339. Haryana's Jind ranked as the third most polluted city in the country, with an average AQI of 337. In Amritsar, the maximum AQI on Saturday reached 605 at 11 am. In Ludhiana and Jalandhar, the maximum AQI also reached 500.

In Delhi, the 24-hour average AQI was recorded at 316 at 4 pm on Saturday, up from 290 in the morning. In Anand Vihar, it rose above 400. The main reasons for the AQI increase are the two-day Diwali celebrations on Thursday and Friday and a sudden surge in stubble-burning incidents under the cover of Diwali festivities.

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Before Diwali, air quality was good in 51 cities, but after Diwali, only 26 cities maintained good air quality. The number of cities with an inferior air index rose from eight to fifty. Pollution levels were higher in densely populated cities.