A foreign model living in Gurgaon has shared a stark glimpse of worsening air pollution in the national capital region, as Delhi and its surrounding areas continue to reel under hazardous winter smog.
Taking to Instagram, Kseniia Shakirzianova posted a video from her Gurgaon balcony, showing thick haze that completely obscured the view below.
The text overlaid on the clip read, “Woke up in the clouds today”, capturing the surreal yet alarming conditions prevailing across the region.
Take a look here at the video:
)Delhi wakes up under severe air quality
The video surfaced as Delhi woke up to yet another winter morning wrapped in dense smog on Monday. Air quality across the national capital remained firmly in the severe category for the third consecutive day, according to official data.
The overall Air Quality Index stood at 457 at 6 am, as per figures from the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi. Visibility dropped sharply in several parts of the city, with residents reporting difficulty in seeing even short distances ahead during early morning hours.
(Also read: Delhi AQI ‘severe’ for third straight day, smog worsens choking effect, hits flights | Know worst-hit areas)
Pollution spikes across monitoring stations
Air quality conditions deteriorated further over the weekend, reaching alarming levels by Monday morning. At least four monitoring stations Ashok Vihar, Jahangirpuri, Rohini and Wazirpur recorded an AQI reading of 500 around 7 am. This is the highest level reported by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Data also showed that 38 of the 39 active monitoring stations in Delhi remained in the severe or severe plus categories at different points on Sunday. At least 13 stations recorded AQI levels above 490 for several hours.
How air quality levels are classified
The pollution control board classifies air quality as moderate when AQI ranges from 101 to 200, poor between 201 and 300, and very poor between 301 and 400. Any reading above 400 is considered severe. For mitigation measures, AQI levels of 450 and above are termed severe plus, while a reading of 500 is categorised as seriously dangerous.