India, Dec. 18 -- The air quality in Dehradun deteriorated to the 'poor' category on Wednesday, placing the capital of Uttarakhand among the polluted cities in the country.

Dehradun recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 294, with fine particulate matter (PM2.5) identified as the dominant pollutant, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) bulletin released at 4 pm on Wednesday.

The CPCB classifies air as 'good' when AQI is 50 or lower; 'satisfactory' between 51 and 100; 'moderate' between 101 and 200; 'poor' between 201 and 300; 'very poor' between 301 and 400; and 'severe' when it exceeds 400.

While Delhi has long been synonymous with pollution spikes, Dehradun's worsening air quality has raised concern among residen...