Reduced visibility, blanket of haze: Delhi's air quality deteriorates despite stricter measures to curb pollution
Delhi faced severe air pollution on Thursday, with a 24-hour average AQI of 373, categorised as ‘very poor.’ This comes even though the city imposed stricter measures to curb pollution.
Delhi's air quality deteriorates despite stricter measures to curb pollution(ANI Video Grab)
The national capital was cloaked in a thick layer of haze on Thursday as air pollution levels took a sharp turn for the worse. According to official data, the city's 24-hour average Air quality Index (AQI) climbed to 373, up from 334 a day earlier.
The surge has firmly pushed Delhi back into the ‘very poor’ air quality category, even as the Delhi government has imposed a range of anti-pollution measures to curb rising pollution levels.
Anand Vihar records highest AQI reading at 441
The scale of the situation is evident across the city's monitoring network, where nearly half the stations are reporting critical levels.
Out of 40 air quality monitoring stations in the city, 15 have recorded ‘severe’ air quality, indicating dangerous levels of pollutants. Anand Vihar registered the highest reading at 441, placing it in the 'severe-plus' category.
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) SAMEER app further confirmed that 24 other stations remained trapped in the ‘very poor’ air quality bracket.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’ and 401–500 ‘severe’.
What is contributing to rising level of pollution in national capital?
Data from the Decision Support System for Air Quality Management identifies transport as the single largest contributor to the city's pollution, accounting for 18.3% of the total pollution load.
Beyond the roads, industrial activity in Delhi and its peripheral areas contributed 9.2%, while residential sources and construction activities contributed 4.5% and 2.5%, respectively.
Minor but cumulative contributors include waste burning, road dust, and local power generation in Delhi, which together contributed nearly 4%.
The pollution crisis is not confined to Delhi's borders, as neighbouring districts in the National Capital Region (NCR) play a major role in increasing the pollution load. Jhajjar is the most significant external contributor at 12.3%, followed closely by Sonipat at 8.8%, and Rohtak at 4.8%. Other areas, including Jind, Bhiwani and Gurugram, also add to the regional pollution burden, ANI reported.
Residents are unlikely to see relief in the near future, as the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi suggests that the air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category on Friday and Saturday, and may deteriorate further to ‘severe’ on Sunday.
What curbs did Delhi impose?
The Delhi government has announced a series of curbs to tackle rising air pollution in Delhi. On 17 December, it directed private companies to operate with a maximum of 50% staff physically present at workplaces, with the remaining employees required to work from home.
Meanwhile, from 18 December, vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate will not be allowed to refuel at petrol pumps in the national capital.
A day earlier, on 16 December, the government also announced that only BS-VI vehicles from outside Delhi will be permitted to enter the city, Mint reported earlier.
