New Delhi, 2 February. After a long time, relief news has come for the people of National Capital Region (NCR). After remaining in the severe and ultra-severe category for several months, the air of NCR has now come out of the ‘red mark’. According to the latest Air Quality Index (AQI), most areas of Delhi-NCR have been recorded in the Yellow (moderate) and Orange (poor) categories. However, on Monday morning, blanket of mist and fog was seen in many parts of NCR.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department, there will be a possibility of moderate fog from February 2 to February 7. During this period, the maximum temperature will be recorded between 18 to 21 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature will be between 8 to 11 degrees Celsius. The humidity level will remain between 90 to 98 percent, which will affect visibility in the morning. According to the AQI data of Delhi, AQI was recorded in Orange and Yellow category at many monitoring centers in Delhi. AQI was recorded at 242 in Anand Vihar, 222 in Ashok Vihar, 217 in Chandni Chowk, 222 in Bawana, 121 in Aya Nagar, 151 in Mathura Road, 158 in DTU and 157 in Burari Crossing.

Noida also saw improvement in AQI, although some areas are still in the Orange Zone. 235 AQI was recorded in Sector-125 Noida, 208 in Sector-1 Noida, 207 in Sector-116 Noida, 138 in Sector-62 Noida. The situation remained relatively serious in Ghaziabad, with some areas still recording high AQI, including 271 in Loni, 255 in Indirapuram, 237 in Vasundhara and 211 in Sanjay Nagar. According to experts, due to Sunday holiday, the number of vehicles on the roads remained less. Also, due to closure of most of the industrial establishments, polluting activities reduced.

Due to these reasons AQI has come below the danger mark. However, the Meteorological Department says that due to fog and mist, pollutants may remain trapped in the atmosphere. In such a situation, there is a need to keep a constant eye on the air quality in the coming days. At present, NCR residents have breathed clean air to some extent after a long time, but experts are advising caution.