NEW DELHI: Delhi’s air quality plummeted back into the “very poor” zone on Sunday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) rising to 321 — the fifth day this month in which the air has reached this level of pollution. Just a day before, the AQI had been recorded at 292 at 4 p.m., placing it in the “poor” category.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s Sameer app indicated the AQI was last updated at 12 p.m. at 321. An official, speaking anonymously, explained that while all monitoring stations were functioning and collecting data, a technical glitch had caused a delay in updating the numbers. The issue is expected to be resolved shortly, according to the official. A similar glitch on January 1 led to a temporary halt in AQI data, and on November 14, 2023, only nine out of 40 stations in the city were able to transmit readings due to issues with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s (DPCC) systems.
As for the sources of the pollution, the Decision Support System (DSS), which tracks the contribution of various pollution sources to Delhi’s PM2.5 levels, pointed to transport emissions and cross-boundary pollution as the main culprits behind the surge in pollution. On Sunday, emissions from stubble burning peaked at 3.71%, up from 0.98% the previous day. The highest recorded single-day contribution from farm fires had been 3.45% on Friday.
According to DSS data, the largest contributor to Delhi’s PM2.5 pollution (20.6%) was attributed to “other” sources, which include pollutants coming from outside the city. This was followed by emissions from Delhi’s transport sector, which contributed 15.5%, and around 7.57% from the Gautam Buddha Nagar region.
Air quality is not expected to improve much on Monday, though there could be a slight dip in the AQI by Tuesday, thanks to light rain. “The air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category on October 27, and improve slightly to the ‘poor’ category on October 28-29,” the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi (EWS) has forecasted.
In addition to the poor air quality, Delhi also saw a drop in temperature, with the minimum temperature recorded at 15.8°C — the lowest for October in the past two years. The previous day’s minimum was 16.9°C. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the lowest minimum temperature around this time last year was 17.4°C on October 15, and the lowest in October 2023 was recorded at 14.3°C on October 28.
IMD has predicted partly cloudy skies for Wednesday, when the Delhi government is planning to carry out artificial rain to help clear the air. A “feeble western disturbance” is expected to impact the city from Monday, bringing light rain and possibly improving the air quality.
