Delhi air worsens again as AQI shoots up to 386: 16 stations hit ‘severe’ mark

Delhi AQI: Visual from the IGI T3 this morning as a layer of toxic smog blankets the city. (Photo: ANI)

Delhi’s air quality dipped once again on Wednesday, just a day after a brief improvement. As per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data at 5.30 am, the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed from 341 on Tuesday to 386, placing it in the “very poor” category.

Out of 39 monitoring stations in Delhi-NCR, 16 locations recorded AQI levels above 400, categorised as “severe.” Wazirpur emerged as the most polluted spot with an AQI of 446, followed by Bawana at 444 and Jahangirpuri at 442.

Other highly affected areas included Chandni Chowk, Ashok Vihar, Delhi Technological University (DTU) and Vivek Vihar, all with AQI readings in the 430-440 range.

Neighbouring regions also reported dangerous air quality. Greater Noida recorded an AQI of 450, Noida touched 410, and Ghaziabad hit 435. Faridabad and Gurugram fared slightly better with AQI levels of 234 and 288, respectively.

Rain may bring relief

There may be some comfort in sight. Light rain is expected in the coming days, according to Skymet’s Vice President (Meteorology and Climate Change) Mahesh Palawat. These showers could bring down temperatures and clean the air temporarily, PTI reported.

However, the relief may not last long. The Air Quality Early Warning System under the Ministry of Earth Sciences predicts that Delhi’s air quality will remain in the “very poor” range for at least the next four days.

Satellite images have also detected several farm fires across North India, 31 in Punjab, 10 in Haryana, and 384 in Uttar Pradesh, which continue to add to the pollution level.

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology’s Decision Support System has estimated that vehicular emissions contributed 18.1% to Delhi’s pollution on November 18, rising to a projected 20% by Wednesday. Stubble burning accounted for 5.4% and is expected to drop slightly to 2.8%.

Meanwhile, the IMD has forecast partly cloudy skies with moderate fog on Wednesday. Minimum temperatures are expected to hover between 9°C and 11°C, while maximum temperatures will remain in the 25–27°C range.