Saturday morning’s “severe” category was assigned to the national capital’s air quality index (AQI), according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The national capital’s AQI, which falls into the “severe” category, was 447.

A reading on the Air Quality Index (AQI) of zero to fifty is considered “good,” 51 to one hundred “satisfactory,” 101 to 200 “moderate,” 201 to 300 “poor,” 301 to 400 “very poor,” 401 to 450 “severe,” and 450 and above “severe-plus.”

In response to the region’s worsening air quality index, the Center on Friday issued an order prohibiting non-essential construction work and the operation of four-wheelers powered by BS-III gasoline and BS-IV diesel.

This abrupt increase in Delhi’s daily average AQI is mostly due to unfavorable weather, such as fog and haze, combined with low wind speeds, according to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body tasked with developing plans to reduce pollution in the area.

Recalling restrictions under Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage-III, the CAQM mandated that non-essential construction, stone crushing, and mining be prohibited in Delhi-NCR.

The use of BS-III gasoline and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar is also restricted under Stage-III.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reports that the city’s minimum temperature was 9.6 degrees Celsius, two degrees above the season’s average.

There will be mild fog during the day, according to the IMD. According to the report, the highest temperature will probably reach 23 degrees Celsius.

At 8.30 am, the relative humidity was 97%.