Delhi Pollution: Air Quality Remains in 'Very Poor' Category As Smog Envelops NCR

New Delhi: Residents of the national capital and its adjoining areas, including Noida and Ghaziabad, woke up to a blanket of toxic smog on Saturday, two days after Diwali as many defied the ban on firecrackers on Thursday and Friday night causing severe noise pollution and reducing visibility.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality in the national capital remained in the 'very poor' category on Saturday. A thick layer of smog engulfed the national capital as the air quality continued to deteriorate.

The rise in pollution levels is posing challenges to resident who complained of facing difficulties in breathing.

Speaking to news agency ANI, a Delhi resident said, " There are a lot of issues due to pollution...it is difficult to breathe...I recently came from abroad as soon as I landed in Delhi, there was a different kind of smell and this is not good..."

Visuals have emerged from several parts of the city, including the area near the Akshardham Temple, where a thick layer of smog can be seen enveloping the area.

The AQI around Lodhi Road was recorded at 227 on Saturday morning, as per CPCB.

Meanwhile, the air quality in Delhi remained in the "very poor" category on Friday, despite relentless bursting of firecrackers during Diwali celebrations the previous day, thanks to above-normal temperatures and favourable winds that helped in the dispersion of pollutants.

A thick layer of haze shrouded the national capital, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 362 at 9 am as people defied a citywide ban on firecrackers on Diwali. However, the condition improved and the city's 24-hour average AQI recorded at 4 pm was 339, according to CPCB data.

The capital also registered a spike in the noise-pollution levels between 6 pm and midnight on Diwali, data from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) showed. It was anticipated that Delhi's air quality would enter the "severe" category due to the bursting of firecrackers on Diwali, but it remained "very poor".