New Delhi, Dec. 18 -- A thick blanket of smog engulfed the national capital early morning and lingered till late hourse as Delhi's air quality index (AQI) worsened on Thursday, inching closer to severe pollution levels.
At 4 p.m. on Thursday, the 24-hour rolling average AQI for Delhi touched 373, in a spike from previous days' readings of 334, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The Centre Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies air quality as 'moderate' when AQI is between 101-200, 'poor' between 201-300 and 'very poor' between 301-400. Above 400 mark, the AQI falls under the 'severe' category; however, for the implementation of emergent GRAP measures, AQI values of 450 are categorised as 'severe plus'. A...