Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to perilous levels on Friday morning, skirting the "severe" category just a day after environmental authorities lifted key anti-pollution restrictions in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the capital’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) registered at 384 at 7.00 am, perilously close to the "severe" mark of 401. This continues a relentless stretch of poor air, with the city having endured 14 consecutive days of hazardous air quality.
The 24-hour average from the previous day was 377 and by Thursday evening, several monitoring stations had already reported AQI levels breaching the severe threshold.
This decline comes despite the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) deciding on Thursday to revoke Stage-3 measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap). Under Grap, Stage-3 is activated when the AQI is projected to hit "severe" levels, triggering bans on certain construction activities and the operation of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles.
Officials, however, defended the move, citing meteorological forecasts. A CAQM official cited by HT stated that the commission was acting on predictions from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.
“We were told the AQI will worsen marginally on Thursday as wind speeds will drop,” the official was quoted as saying. “However, by Thursday evening and from Friday onwards, winds are forecast to pick up again and so the AQI is not likely to touch 400 and into the severe category.”
The official confirmed that the sub-committee did not reconvene on Thursday despite the worsening air, indicating a reliance on the forecasted improvement.
Weather conditions remain a critical factor. The IMD has forecast dense fog in Delhi from November 28 to 30 during the early morning, with temperatures expected to remain 1 to 2 degrees Celsius below the seasonal average. Calm wind conditions, which allow pollutants to accumulate, were predicted to prevail through much of the day, gradually increasing to speeds of up to 10 kmph in the afternoon.
Each winter, a toxic cocktail of unfavourable meteorological conditions — such as low winds and temperature inversions — combined with emissions from vehicles, paddy straw burning in neighbouring states, firecrackers and other local pollution sources, plunges Delhi-NCR into a public health crisis.
While authorities express cautious optimism that wind speeds will aid dispersal and prevent a full descent into the "severe" category, the immediate reality for Delhi's residents remains a thick, noxious haze and the health ramifications of breathing what is currently classified as "very poor" air.
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