Delhi's air quality remained in the 'poor' category for a fifth day straight on Saturday as the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 268, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

The major pollutants in Delhi were PM10 and PM2.5. The pollution affected visibility across the city, show pictures. The poor air quality comes on the day of Dhanteras and two days before Diwali, when the AQI is expected to plummet further.

On Friday, October 17, the AQI of Delhi was 254; on Thursday, it was 245; on Wednesday, it was 233; and on Tuesday, it was 211.

Before that, Delhi's air was in 'moderate' category.

According to CPCB's data, Ghaziabad's air quality was the worst on Saturday with an AQI of 324, putting it in 'very poor' category. Ghaziabad's air quality has remained 'very poor' for three days in a row now, as it's AQI was recorded at 307 and 306 on Thursday and Friday respectively.

According to CPCB, an AQI of 0-50 is considered "good", 51-100 is considered "satisfactory", 101-200 is considered "moderate", 201-300 is considered "poor", 301-400 is considered "very poor" and 401-500 is considered "severe".

Delhi's streak of 'poor' air is likely to continue over the next few days as the festival of Diwali approaches, According to the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi, "The air quality is very likely to be in the poor category from Saturday to Sunday. The air quality is very likely to be in the upper end of very poor category on Monday in case of additional emissions from firecrackers. The outlook for the subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to be in the poor category becoming upper end of very poor category on Tuesday."

Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 33.5 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 19.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday, according to the India Meterological Department (IMD). The weather department has predicted smog or shallow fog at several areas across Delhi during morning hours on Sunday.