Delhi's double trouble: Chilling cold and 'Very Poor' air quality

NEW DELHI: Delhi woke up to foggy conditions on Sunday morning following a slight drop in minimum temperature. The temperature in the national capital was recorded at 7 degrees Celsius at 5:30 am. People could be seen jogging and working out at a park in the Kashmiri Gate area, which was covered with a thin layer of haze.

Earlier, Delhi recorded a temperature of 7.4 degrees Celsius at 5:30 am on Saturday. Meanwhile, air quality in the national capital continued to hover in the 'very poor' category on Sunday morning, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) at IGI Airport (T3) was recorded at 311 at 8.00 am.

The AQI in the New Moti Bagh area was recorded in the 'very poor' category at 331. The air quality in Punjabi Bagh was recorded in the 'very poor' category at 382. The AQI at Anand Vihar was recorded in the 'very poor' category at 385.

As the temperature in New Delhi dropped, the city's homeless sought refuge in night shelters. One such shelter is in Sarai Kale Khan, which is open 24 hours a day and provides bathing facilities, food three times a day, and medical care, including a clinic and medicine.

Suraj, a homeless person staying at the night shelter in Sarai Kale Khan, praised the facilities and staff. "The shelter is open 24 hours a day, and there are also bathing facilities here. I used to live outside before, but when I found out about this night shelter in Sarai Kale Khan, I came here to stay. The sleeping arrangements here are all okay. There is also a washroom here, and there are facilities for everything. And the staff here do their duty well 24 hours a day. We get food here three times.

There is a clinic here for medical care, and we also get medicine here," Suraj told ANI. Akshay and Mohammad Nausad, caretakers of the shelter, highlighted the availability of 20 beds, separate blankets for everyone, a 'Mohalla Clinic', and a medical team. They emphasised that the shelter is open to anyone at any time.

"There are 20 beds here and separate blankets for everyone. For medical, there is a 'Mohalla Clinic' here and we also have a medical team. Food comes three times a day here," Akshay, one of the caretakers of the night shelter in Sarai Kale Khan, said.

"Anyone can come and stay in this shelter at any time. This shelter remains open 24 hours a day," Mohammad Nausad, another caretaker of the night shelter in Sarai Kale Khan, said. Sombi, a disabled resident, appreciated the shelter's special bathroom for the disabled.

"I used to sleep outside on the road earlier, and when I learned about this night shelter, I came here. This night shelter has a special bathroom for the disabled," he said.