New Delhi: The air quality of Delhi continued to remain in the ‘very poor category,’ as several parts of the city witnessed smog for the ninth consecutive day post- Diwali on Saturday. According to the SAFAR data, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded at 360 as of 8 am today, categorised as ‘very poor.’

Visuals show a layer of smog engulfs the area surrounding Kartavya Path as the AQI recorded is 391 while the AIIMS area recorded 343 AQI, according to the CPCB.

Other major parts of Delhi, including Bawana recorded an AQI of 409, Alipur at 387, Anand Vihar at 393, Dwarka Sector 8 at 362, IGI Airport at 344, Dilsahd Garden at 220, ITO at 359, Mundka at 377, Najafgarh at 379, New Moti Bagh at 411, Patparganj at 389, RK Puram at 376 and Wazirpur at 399, as per the data of SAFAR. Akshardham, one of the famous tourist spot of Delhi and one of the major route, connecting Delhi to several important parts of Uttar Pradesh, recorded an AQI of 393 and the air quality categorised as ‘very poor’, as per the CPCB.

Locals convey that this air pollution is causing several problems to them, including breathing issues, headache, cough, cold, etc.

An AQI is considered “poor” between ‘200 and 300’, “very poor” at ‘301 and 400’, “severe” at ‘401-450,” and 450 and above is “severe plus.”

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday chaired a meeting with concerned departments on the issue of rising pollution levels in national capital. He pitched for a united effort in North Indian states to mitigate pollution, while accusing BJP governments in neighbouring states of doing ‘politics’ over air pollution.