Delhi's air quality 'very poor'; max temp settles at 25.7 deg C

New Delhi, Nov 22 (PTI) The maximum temperature in Delhi on Wednesday settled at 25.7 degrees Celsius, a notch below the normal, while the air quality remained in the 'very poor' category.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the relative humidity in the city was recorded at 65 per cent at 5:30 pm. The weather office had predicted mainly clear sky and haze during the day.

The city's 24-hour average AQI stood at 394 at 4 pm.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', 401 and 450 'severe' and above 450 'severe-plus'.

Delhi has been witnessing a steep increase in AQI levels after a marginal improvement on Sunday. The city recorded an AQI of 365 on Tuesday, 348 at 4 pm on Monday, and 301 on Sunday.

The increase in AQI levels comes after the Centre on Saturday removed stringent curbs, including a ban on construction work related to linear projects and the entry of polluting trucks, in Delhi following a drop in pollution levels due to favourable wind speed and direction. PTI SJJ SJJ NSD NSD