Delhi continues to inhale unhealthy air with AQI at 364. Will Ethiopian volcanic ash worsen pollution?

The air pollution in the national capital continues to rise each day despite stricter pollution-control measures and the recent cloud-seeding experiment aimed at producing artificial rain — an effort that cost several crores. According to the Early Warning System for Delhi, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) at 7am on Tuesday stood at 364.

Most monitoring stations across the city recorded AQI levels above 300: Anand Vihar reported 401, ITO 379, Najafgarh 332, Narela 377, Punjabi Bagh 391, and Wazirpur 400.

Pollution levels were similarly severe in neighbouring cities, with Noida at 419, Greater Noida at 340, and Gurugram at 351.

Will the Ethiopian ash cloud worsen Delhi’s AQI?

A cloud of volcanic ash from the Hayli Gubbi eruption in Ethiopia has reached Delhi, blanketing parts of the city in a thin layer of haze.

IMD director general M Mohapatra told HT that the volcanic plume is not expected to significantly affect Delhi’s pollution levels, as it is travelling at very high altitudes. On air quality, he said it is “unclear whether it will impact air quality, but any significant impact is unlikely as it is at higher levels.”

He explained that the ash cloud is currently “nearing Gujarat” and is likely to begin influencing “Delhi-NCR and neighbouring northern India in the next few hours,” though its impact will mainly be felt in aviation.

Since the plume is “in the upper-levels,” he noted that its effect near the surface will be limited. Residents may instead observe “a hazy, cloudy sky… its impact expected for a few hours, as it continues to move further eastwards.” Mohapatra added that some cities may experience “a marginal rise in the temperature” because the ash mass behaves like cloud cover.

What has changed in Delhi-NCR’s pollution response?

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Friday updated Delhi-NCR’s pollution-response framework, tightening several measures after reviewing the Supreme Court’s observations earlier this week.

Under the revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), many interventions will now be triggered earlier, even at lower pollution levels. These include staggered office timings, expanded public transport and the option of work-from-home arrangements.

One major change is the threshold for action. Measures that were previously implemented only when the AQI reached the ‘Very Poor’ category will now begin as soon as it enters the ‘Poor’ category.