NEW DELHI: The air quality in Delhi made a marginal improvement today, transitioning from the 'severe' category to 'very poor' on November 18. According to data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital stood at 340 as of 9 am.

SAFAR data revealed that areas such as Pusa, Dhirpur, Delhi University, Noida, Gurugram, Lodhi Road, and Airport (T3) experienced 'very poor' air quality with AQI readings of 336, 313, 382, 319, 317, 325, and 374, respectively.

Additionally, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data at 9 am, Anand Vihar recorded an average AQI of 335, Jahangirpuri at 373, RK Puram at 389, Dwarka at 395, Rohini at 361, and Rohini at 366.

The AQI scale categorizes levels between zero and 50 as 'good,' 51-100 as 'satisfactory,' 101-200 as 'moderate,' 201-300 as 'poor,' 301-400 as 'very poor,' 401-450 as 'severe,' and anything above 450 as 'severe plus.'

Despite witnessing a slight improvement in the air quality index, the city remained engulfed in a dense, noxious haze.

On November 17, the National Green Tribunal highlighted non-compliance from various states with its earlier directions to take immediate remedial action as the Air Quality Index continued to deteriorate. The tribunal had previously issued notices to the chief secretaries of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar, and Jharkhand, after taking note of the Central Pollution Control Board's online air quality bulletins.

Air Pollution Update: Delhi's Air Quality Stays 'Severe' for Third Day; AQI at 416