NEW DELHI: The Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) continues to grapple with an intense winter spell, as bone-chilling cold wave conditions persist, worsening both weather and air quality across the region. The situation in the national capital remains extremely concerning, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) crossing the 350 mark in several areas, placing air quality in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ categories.

According to official data, an AQI of 384 was recorded in Chandni Chowk, 376 in Ashok Vihar373 in Bawana, 386 in Punjabi Bagh, 383 in Okhla Phase-2, and 399 in Pusa. Nehru Nagar reported an AQI of 397, falling under the “very severe” category. Meanwhile, Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 345, while Alipur stood at 332, both indicating very poor air quality.

In Noida, air quality remained consistently poor across all active monitoring stations. Sector-1 recorded an AQI of 359, Sector-125 stood at 352, Sector-116 at 347, and Sector-62 at 342, highlighting the toxic air conditions prevailing in the city. Some areas, such as Mathura Road, recorded relatively lower AQI levels at 259; however, this too remained in the poor category.