Delhi records minimum temp of 6.1, air quality remains 'very poor'

New Delhi, Jan 22 (IANS) The national capital on Monday recorded a minimum temperature at 6.1 degrees Celsius, one notch below the seasonal average, the India Meteorological (IMD) Department said.

The IMD's forecast for the day showed that the maximum temperature is likely to hover around 17 degrees, with the minimum at around 6 degrees.

It added that it was going to be a "mainly clear sky becoming partly cloudy towards afternoon or evening".

According to the weatherman, shallow fog blanketed isolated pockets of Jammu division, Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Coastal Andhra Pradesh.

"Visibility recorded (at 0530 hours IST of today) (≤500 metres): Punjab: Patiala-50; Haryana: Ambala-200; Chandigarh and Hissar -500 each; Delhi: Palam & Safdarjung-500 each; U.P: Varanasi-25, Prayagraj-50, Bareilly, Bahraich and Gorakhpur -500 each," IMD posted on X.

It further said that dense to very dense fog was observed in isolated pockets of East Uttar Pradesh and Bihar; dense fog in isolated pockets of Punjab and Tripura; moderate fog in isolated pockets of Haryana-Chandigarh, West Rajasthan and West Bengal.

Meanwhile, the air quality continued to remain in the 'very poor' category at several stations across the city.

In the Anand Vihar area, at 9 a.m., PM2.5 levels were recorded to be in the 'very poor' category standing at 386 and PM10 reached 341 or again, 'very poor’, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The Air Quality Index (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'; and 401 and 500 'severe'.

Dwarka Sector 8 witnessed PM2.5 levels at 335, and PM10 was at 218, both falling under the 'very poor' and 'poor' category, respectively.