Industrial emissions, low wind speed choke Delhis Jahangirpuri

24-hr average AQI rises to 452, pushes area into 'severe' category

Jahangirpuri's air quality has deteriorated sharply over the past few days, with its monitoring station recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 452 on Wednesday afternoon, even as Delhi's overall air quality remained in the very poor category. Industrial emissions, declining wind speeds and poor ventilation have been identified as possible factors behind the concentration of pollutants in the area.

The scale of the deterioration is reflected in the station's 24-hour average AQI, which climbed from 243 on October 31 to 378 on Sunday, 436 on Monday and 462 on Tuesday. The reading stood at 452 at 2.05 pm on Wednesday, placing Jahangirpuri in the severe category.

Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst at Envirocatalysts, said the high readings could be the result of three factors operating together - industrial activity, unfavourable weather and restricted air movement around the monitoring station.

"Three major factors might be interacting and causing the high levels of pollution. There is high industrial activity in the area around Jahangirpuri. Industrial activity means combustion, which leads to high emissions of PM2.5," he said.

Dahiya said falling wind speeds over the past few days had reduced the dispersal of pollutants, allowing them to accumulate. He also flagged a tall building on one side of the monitoring station, which could be affecting air movement around it and contributing to the persistently high readings.

The deterioration comes against the backdrop of rising pollution across the Capital. Delhi's overall AQI stood at 378 at 3.05 pm on Wednesday, while its 24-hour average rose to 350, against 324 on Monday and 261 on Sunday.