Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘poor’ category on Thursday morning with an index of 253. Many areas like Jahangirpuri showed very poor levels. Officials started Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan as farm fires rose. Experts said the air will stay poor over the coming few days.
Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘poor’ category for the seocnd consecutive day on Thursday morning with the air quality index being recorded around 253 (9am). According to data available from 56 of 59 monitoring stations, Chandni Chowk, Vivek Vihar and Jahangirpuri recorded air quality in the very poor zone with readings of 307, 306, 309 respectively.
Nineteen stations recorded air quality in the moderate zone while the remaining were in the poor category.
Delhi recorded the season’s first ‘poor’ air on Wednesday as smoke from Dussehra celebrations, trapped by still, damp night air, pushed the AQI into the poor category and prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to invoke Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) across Delhi-NCR.
The AQI climbed from 179 on Tuesday to 245 at 4pm on Wednesday, the highest reading of the season and the worst since July 13, when it stood at 246. The 66-point jump was the third-largest the day after Dussehra in the past decade, and Wednesday’s reading the worst for the day after the festival since 2021, when the index stood at 284.
Farm fires rising
The Decision Support System for Air Quality Management in Delhi forecasts stubble burning’s share of the city’s pollution to rise from 3.9% on Wednesday to 7.4% on Thursday and 15.9% on Friday, while the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology expect the air to stay ‘poor’ over the coming days.