A thick haze blanketed Delhi on Tuesday morning as the city’s air quality deteriorated to alarming levels, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 331, classified as ‘very poor.’ This worsening pollution in the national capital comes as Diwali approaches, a time traditionally associated with increased air pollution due to firecrackers.
The city’s air quality had already hit a low on Monday with a 24-hour average AQI of 324, marking the worst level in 271 days. The situation has escalated from an AQI of 261 on Sunday and a relatively moderate 60 on Friday. Eight of Delhi’s 58 air quality monitoring stations reported ‘severe’ air pollution levels, including areas such as Bawana, Narela, and Punjabi Bagh. Only the station at IGNOU in Maidangarhi reported moderate air quality.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), PM2.5 was identified as the primary pollutant in 53 monitoring stations, while PM10 dominated in the remaining five. The increase in pollution levels is compounded by farm fires, with satellite data recording 1,561 incidents in Punjab and Haryana between October 1 and November 2. Punjab alone accounted for 1,406 of these fires.
In response to the deteriorating air quality, authorities have implemented Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR. This includes measures such as staggering office timings for government and municipal employees in areas like Delhi, Gurugram, and Faridabad, and increasing parking fees to discourage the use of private vehicles. Resident welfare associations have also been urged to provide electric heaters to security personnel to prevent open burning during colder periods.