Delhi’s air quality turned to the worst levels in around a year on Thursday.

New Delhi: Delhi’s air quality turned to the worst levels in around a year on Thursday.

As the skies hung heavy and acrid over the region, people complained of itchy throat and watery eyes.

Delhi’s air quality

Experts said unfavourable meteorological conditions and calm winds and low temperatures and smoke from farm fires in neighbouring states led to a dense layer of haze on Wednesday night as the air quality index entered the "severe" zone.

A large number of people across Dehi-NCR burst firecrackers to mark the festival of Karwa Chauth.

"People are bursting crackers and it is not even Diwali yet. The city has already become a gas chamber. This happens every year. For how long will this continue," asked Shiv Shrivastava, a resident of south Delhi.

Delhi's air qualityHealth experts said that during the Covid-19 pandemic, air pollution has become a serious health concern for about the two crore residents of the national capital.

Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 461 at 8 am. It was 279 at 10 am on Wednesday. 

All the 36 monitoring stations recorded the air quality in the 'severe' category.

Delhi's air quality

The neighbouring cities of Faridabad (431), Ghaziabad (484), Greater Noida (463), Gurugram (440) and Noida (461) also recorded 'severe' levels of air pollution.

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", and 401 and 500 "severe".