Noida, 31 December. People of the National Capital Region (NCR) could not get any respite from pollution and fog even on the last day of the year. On December 31, the air in Delhi-NCR was recorded in the very poor to dangerous category. According to data from various monitoring stations of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and IMD, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in many areas crossed 450, which falls in the ‘severe’ category.

The AQI in Delhi’s Anand Vihar was recorded at 452, while it was 411 in Ashok Vihar, 420 in Chandni Chowk, 430 in Punjabi Bagh, 426 in Rohini, 437 in Shadipur, 441 in Vivek Vihar and 436 in Wazirpur. Similarly, R.K. AQI was 412 in Puram, 409 in Sirifort, 382 in Sonia Vihar, 345 in Sri Aurobindo Marg and 375 in DTU area.

These figures clearly show that almost all parts of the capital remained in the grip of severe pollution, even above the Red Zone. The situation in Noida and Ghaziabad was also no different. AQI was recorded at 438 in Sector-1 of Noida, 420 in Sector-116, 391 in Sector-125 and 373 in Sector-62.

At the same time, AQI was 432 in Vasundhara, Ghaziabad, 378 in Indirapuram, 327 in Loni and 320 in Sanjay Nagar. The AQI remained in the red zone throughout the month in NCR, which increased the problems of respiratory patients, elderly and children. Along with pollution, dense fog also increased the problems of the people.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department, there was moderate to dense fog on the morning of 31 December. The maximum temperature was recorded at 23 degrees and minimum at 8 degrees Celsius. Due to fog, visibility was reduced in many areas, affecting road, rail and air traffic.

However, there are signs of some change in the weather on the first day of the new year, i.e. January 1. According to IMD forecast, the sky will be cloudy and there is a possibility of light rain. The temperature can remain between 19 to 11 degrees Celsius. Weather experts believe that light rain can reduce the pollution level to some extent and people can get some relief. After this, there is a possibility of moderate fog again on January 2.