Delhi's air quality improved to the 'poor' category on Tuesday, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) dropping to 299 from 344 a day earlier, as stronger northwesterly winds aided the dispersion of pollutants.
The improvement comes after days of hazardous pollution levels in the national capital, with weather experts predicting further relief over the next couple of days as wind speeds remain relatively high.
Mahesh Palawat, vice-president of Skymet and a weather expert, told PTI that a change in wind direction and speed had contributed to the improvement in air quality.
"Now northwesterlies are impacting the Delhi region, with an average speed of 12-14 kmph, which has helped the dispersion of pollutants," he said. Palawat added that wind speeds are expected to remain high over the next couple of days, potentially leading to a further improvement in the AQI.
The Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi has also forecast a decline in concentrations of particulate matter, including PM2.5 and PM10, over the next two days.
Of the 58 air quality monitoring stations that recorded data on Tuesday, 28 reported 'very poor' air quality, another 28 recorded 'poor' levels, while two registered 'moderate' air quality. None of the stations reported 'severe' pollution.
The monitoring stations at Delhi Cantonment and Sri Aurobindo Marg recorded moderate air quality, with AQI readings of 135 and 155, respectively.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI of 0-50 is classified as 'good', 51-100 as 'satisfactory', 101-200 as 'moderate', 201-300 as 'poor', 301-400 as 'very poor', and 401-500 as 'severe'.
PM10 was the predominant pollutant in Delhi on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the transport sector remained the largest contributor to the national capital's pollution, accounting for 18 per cent of the emissions, according to the Decision Support System (DSS) for Delhi.
Stubble burning contributed an estimated 2 per cent to the city's pollution on Tuesday. However, its share is projected to rise to 7.9 per cent on Wednesday.
Satellite data recorded 559 farm-fire incidents across six states on Monday. Madhya Pradesh accounted for the highest number at 239, followed by Punjab with 198, Rajasthan with 50, Uttar Pradesh with 47, Haryana with 17 and Uttarakhand with eight.
A total of 8,665 farm-fire incidents have been detected across these six states between September 15 and November 9, according to a bulletin issued by the Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modelling from Space (CREAMS) Laboratory of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.
(With inputs from PTI)