Delhi recorded 35 days of 'good' to 'moderate' air quality in the first quarter of 2023, according to data from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Friday. This is the highest number of such days in the same period in six years, except for 2020 when the strict lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on air quality.

Data from the commission revealed that Delhi experienced 17 days of 'good' to 'moderate' air quality in the first quarter of 2017, followed by 24 days in 2018, 32 in 2019, 38 in 2020, 13 in 2021, 27 in 2022, and 35 in 2023.

Furthermore, on Friday, the national capital recorded a 24-hour average air quality index of 73, which is the lowest since October 11, 2022, when it was 66.

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To provide context, the air quality index (AQI) measures the concentration of pollutants in the air and ranges from zero to 500. An AQI reading between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.

Additionally, data from the Delhi government indicates that there has been a reduction of more than 30 percent in PM2.5 and PM10 pollution in the national capital over the last eight years.

The levels of PM10 pollution in the city have decreased from 324 ppm (parts per million) in 2014 to 223 ppm in 2022, as per the data.

Similarly, the levels of PM2.5 have reduced from 149 ppm in 2014 to 103 ppm in 2022. Moreover, the data also shows that the number of 'severe' air quality days has significantly reduced from 26 days in 2016 to six days in 2022.

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First Published:Mar 31, 2023 9:41 PM IST