Delhi's air quality deteriorated sharply on Thursday, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 482 at 8.01 am, placing the national capital in the severe category as several parts of the city continued to record high levels of pollution.
According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), seven monitoring stations across the city recorded AQI levels above 400, indicating severe air quality.
Punjabi Bagh recorded the highest AQI at 446, followed by Narela (434), Rohini (431), RK Puram (416), Bawana (412), North Campus of Delhi University (408) and Patparganj (405).
Air quality in several other parts of the city remained in the very poor category. Okhla Phase-2 and India Gate recorded an AQI of 399 each, while ITO reported 397 and Dwarka Sector 8 recorded 396. Chandni Chowk and Vasundhara Enclave registered AQI levels of 356 and 330, respectively.
Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 293, while the India Meteorological Department's Lodhi Road station reported 268, with both locations falling in the poor category.
The deterioration comes ahead of Diwali, with forecasts indicating that pollution levels could worsen further over the coming days. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System, Delhi's air quality is likely to slip into the severe category on November 6 and 7, with the outlook for the subsequent six days also indicating severe conditions.
The national capital had recorded an average AQI of 377 on Wednesday, its worst reading in 288 days, according to CPCB data. The last time the city recorded a higher reading was on January 20, when the AQI stood at 378. As many as 22 monitoring stations had reported severe air quality on Wednesday, highlighting the widespread deterioration.
The spike in pollution levels has been attributed to a combination of local emissions, agricultural residue burning in neighbouring states and unfavourable meteorological conditions that hamper the dispersion of pollutants.
According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology's (IITM) Decision Support System, stubble burning accounted for an estimated 16.28 per cent of Delhi's PM2.5 pollution on Wednesday, while the transport sector contributed 18.17 per cent.
Other sources included residential emissions, industrial activity, construction and road dust.
Satellite data from the ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute detected 467 farm-fire incidents across six states on November 4. Madhya Pradesh accounted for 157 incidents, followed by Punjab (151), Rajasthan (111), Uttar Pradesh (33), Haryana (10) and Uttarakhand (five). No farm fires were detected in Delhi.
Between September 15 and November 4, a total of 4,800 crop-residue burning incidents were recorded across seven states and Union Territories, including Delhi.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has also stepped up action against stubble burning in Punjab. On Wednesday, it issued show-cause notices to deputy commissioners and senior superintendents of police in five districts, Jalandhar, Faridkot, Bathinda, Barnala and Fazilka, for failing to prevent farm fires. Similar action had been initiated against officials in four other districts earlier this week.
Meanwhile, unfavourable weather conditions have added to the pollution burden. Lower wind speeds, shallow fog and seasonal changes in atmospheric conditions can restrict the dispersal of pollutants, allowing particulate matter to accumulate near the surface.
Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is already in force across Delhi-NCR. The measures include intensified mechanical road sweeping, increased water sprinkling with dust suppressants, stricter inspections of construction sites and steps to control road dust and vehicular emissions.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had said on Tuesday that the Centre's air quality panel was continuously monitoring meteorological conditions, including wind direction, wind speed and the movement of air, and taking necessary steps based on its assessments.
The deterioration comes despite a reported decline in stubble-burning incidents compared to previous years, with the government maintaining that a significant portion of paddy stubble has been utilised through ex-situ management.
When asked about the reduction in stubble-burning incidents in neighbouring states, including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, Yadav said around 40 per cent of the paddy stubble had been utilised through ex-situ management this year.
Responding to a question on why air quality continued to remain in the severe category despite these measures, he said the CAQM was closely monitoring prevailing meteorological conditions.
"CAQM is continuously monitoring meteorological conditions, including wind direction, wind speed and the movement of air. Based on these assessments, the necessary steps are being taken," he said.
(With inputs from ANI)
