Delhi AQI misses ‘severe’ mark by 1 point; air quality improves after 3 days of alarming pollution level

Delhi residents woke up to a toxic haze and smog blanketing the national capital as air quality showed no signs of improvement on Friday, November 14. With 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 399, it is after three days that Delh's AQI registered an improvement and dropped to ‘very poor’ range.

DTU and Dilshad Garden record ‘poor’ AQI

According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) real time data from 38 air quality monitoring stations across Delhi, DTU station recorded the best air quality with an AQI of 270 at 7:00 AM. Another station that recorded AQI in poor range at 297 was IHBAS, Dilshad Garden.

Wazirpur and Chandni Chowk register worst AQI

While most stations in the national capital recorded AQI in 'severe' category for the fourth consecutive day, Wazirpur and Chandni Chowk were the worst performers with an AQI reading of 447 and 445, respectively. Notably, an AQI in severe range poses serious health risks even to healthy individuals apart from causing respiratory issues and potential cancer risk.

A total of 25 monitoring stations recorded severe air quality while 11 stations registered ‘very poor’ AQI. According to meteorologists, unfavourable atmospheric conditions have trapped pollutants close to the ground.

Air quality in neighbouring regions around Delhi

Gurugram and Faridabad registered AQI in ‘poor’ range while Ghaziabad, Noida and Greater Noida recorded air quality in ‘very poor’ category on Friday.

Vice president (meteorology and climate change) at Skymet Weather, Mahesh Palawat said, "Light winds and falling temperatures have created an inversion layer, which prevents dispersion of pollutants," PTI reported.

He further noted, “Winds were expected to pick up but remained weak at around 5-7 km/hr. The calm conditions at night make the situation worse.”

As per data from the Decision Support System (DSS), stubble burning played a significant role in rising Delhi's PM2.5 concentration. However, its contribution to Delhi's pollution dropped around 12% on Thursday which stood at 22.4% on November 12, the highest share this season.

The CAQM's Stage-3 restrictions, which were invoked on Tuesday, might be lifted today as the pollution level in Delhi-NCR has dropped to ‘very poor’ range.

Under GRAP Stage 3 restriction, a ban on construction activities across NCR was imposed besides prohibition of older BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel four-wheelers from plying on Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar roads. Primary schools up to Class 5 were asked to shift to hybrid mode.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 9-11 degrees Celsius while the maximum was 24-26 degrees Celsius, both three to four degrees below normal.