MC Pollution Tracker: 32 cities have 'poor air', 4 have an AQI of over 300

Delhi's air quality worsens

The number of cities with "poor air" quality rose to 32 on October 22, up from 20 the previous day, a Moneycontrol analysis of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data shows, with Sonipat and Delhi the most polluted.

Falling temperatures, crop residue burning, vehicular emissions and dust all contribute to higher air pollution during this time of the year. Long exposure to toxic air is known to cause respiratory and cardiac illnesses.

On October 23 morning, Delhi's air quality remained “very poor” and the AQI reading was even higher at 349. A day earlier, Sonipat and Delhi recorded AQI of 331 and 327.

Beside the 32 cities with poor or very poor air quality, 81 had moderate air quality with an AQI of 101-200 on October 22. The remaining 138 cities for which data was available had a reading of below 100.

October 22 was the second day in a row that Delhi's AQI reading stayed above 300. On October 21, the Commission for Air Quality Management implemented GRAP-II conditions in the national capital.

An AQI reading above 201 is considered as "poor " by the CPCB. Of the 32, 28 cities had an AQI between 201 and 300 and another four above 300.

According to CPCB, an AQI reading of “poor” can cause breathing discomfort, while “very poor” levels considerably increase the risk of respiratory illnesses.

While Yadgir, Madurai, Gadag and Ooty had the best air quality among the 252 cities, metros like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai, too, did well. Bengaluru which has been lashed by heavy rain in the last few days, had an AQI of 50, followed by 55 for Chennai and 65 for Hyderabad.

Mumbai’s AQI was 86 on followed by Kolkata at 100 and Ahmedabad at 125.

Gandhinagar, which also hosts the GIFT city, had an air quality index reading of 66.