Delhi pollution: National Capital chokes as AQI remains in very poor category for third consecutive day
The worsening air quality follows the city’s move to Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Monday, November 2, after its 24-hour average AQI reached 324.
PTC News Desk: Delhi’s air quality stayed in the “very poor” category for the third day in a row on Wednesday, November 4. The city recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 369 at 6:05 am, while thick smog continued to cover the capital.
PM2.5 was the main pollutant. Several areas recorded even worse conditions. Punjabi Bagh and Jahangirpuri reported AQI readings of 447, placing them in the “severe” category. Mundka recorded 436, while the area near IIT Delhi recorded 438.
Of Delhi’s 59 air quality monitoring stations, 20 reported “severe” pollution, 33 recorded “very poor” air quality, and the remaining stations were in the “poor” category.
The worsening air quality follows the city’s move to Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Monday, November 2, after its 24-hour average AQI reached 324. It was the first time this season that Delhi’s air quality had entered the “very poor” category. The Air Quality Early Warning System forecast that pollution levels would remain “very poor” until at least Friday, November 6.
The weather forecast for Wednesday predicted a maximum temperature of 27–29°C and a minimum of 14–16°C. No rain was expected, and the sky was likely to remain mostly clear in the morning.
According to the Decision Support System, transport emissions were the biggest source of Delhi’s pollution, contributing 15.8 per cent. Stubble burning was close behind at 15.3 per cent. Other sources included residential emissions (3.9 per cent), industries in Delhi and nearby areas (3 per cent), construction (2.2 per cent), waste burning (1.4 per cent), energy production and road dust (1.2 per cent each), and other sectors (1 per cent).
Satellites detected 219 farm-fire incidents across six states on November 2. Punjab recorded the most, with 98, followed by Rajasthan with 67 and Madhya Pradesh with 48. Uttar Pradesh reported four incidents and Haryana two. No crop-residue burning was detected in Delhi or Uttarakhand, according to data cited by PTI from the CREAMS Lab at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
Between September 15 and November 2, the six states recorded 3,535 farm-fire incidents. Punjab accounted for 1,612, followed by Rajasthan (738), Madhya Pradesh (614), Uttar Pradesh (349), Uttarakhand (176), Haryana (44) and Delhi (two).