Delhi’s air quality worsened sharply on Tuesday, with the city’s overall AQI climbing to 372 by 4 pm, up from 304 on Monday and 279 on Sunday ,inching closer to the ‘severe’ category.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), 16 of the capital’s 39 monitoring stations registered AQI readings above 400, a level known to cause serious health impacts. The worst-hit locations included Burari, Anand Vihar, Mundka, Bawana, Vivek Vihar, Rohini, Sonia Vihar, Ashok Vihar and Punjabi Bagh.
CPCB classifies AQI readings of 301–400 as ‘very poor’ and 401–500 as ‘severe’.
The Air Quality Early Warning System has predicted that Delhi’s air will remain in the ‘very poor’ range for the next few days, with mist and haze likely at night.
Surface winds are expected to stay calm to light during the day, picking up slightly to around 10 kmph from the north in the evening and overnight.
Transport emissions continued to be the biggest local pollution source on Tuesday, contributing 18.4% of the city’s overall pollution. Peripheral industries accounted for 9.2%, while emissions from neighbouring cities such as Noida (8.2%), Ghaziabad (4.6%), Baghpat (6.2%), Panipat (3.3%) and Gurugram (2.9%) also added to the load. Transport emissions are expected to contribute 15.6% on Wednesday.
