Delhi kept gasping for breaths with 'very poor' air quality for the fifth day in a row on November 3, when the AQI scaled its highest level of 382 since the start of October, according to data released by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Surrounding the national capital, bordering cities like Noida, Bahadurgarh and Sonipat too had their air quality index (AQI) readings above 300, which signifies 'poor' air quality.
Among the 258 cities for which AQI numbers were available, over 20 percent grappled with AQI levels of 200 or 'poor' air quality, though this was lower than the Diwali day when over a third of cities in the country recorded 'poor' air quality, while only 3 percent of towns across the country had 'good' air quality. The number of cities with 'good' air quality increased to 30 or 11.6 percent on Sunday.
Metro cities, save for Chennai and Bengaluru, continue to witness air quality levels above 100.
Mumbai, on November 3, had an AQI of 157, while Kolkata had an AQI of 178. Mumbai’s AQI has remained above 100 for four consecutive days.
An AQI between 101 and 200 signifies 'moderate' air quality.
On the other hand, Chennai and Bengaluru had their AQIs at 72 and 75.
Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, which hosts the GIFT city, saw their AQI readings shooting past 100 for the tenth day in a row.
Among the international cities, New York had an AQI of 36 on November 3, better than 245 Indian cities, while London’s AQI at 60 was lower than 217 Indian cities. Beijing’s AQI of 67 was also lower than 206 Indian cities. In India, Tiruchirappalli had the lowest AQI reading of 15 on November 3.
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