Delhi-NCR air quality in ‘hazardous’ category' at 653, toxic smog blankets city

Delhi pollution

As winter begins to settle in, the national capital and its surrounding NCR cities are once again shrouded in a dense layer of smog, with air quality levels plunging to hazardous ranges. On Saturday, data from AQI.in showed Delhi recording an alarming Air Quality Index (AQI) of 653 at 7 a.m., a figure classified as “hazardous.” Visuals from several parts of the city captured streets and neighbourhoods blanketed in thick smog, with significantly reduced visibility in the early morning hours.

The deteriorating air quality coincides with a sharp increase in stubble burning across northern states, particularly Punjab, where hundreds of farm fires were reported this week. The spike in such incidents has pushed the AQI in several cities of Punjab into the ‘severe’ range.

In October, Delhi’s air quality had already shown signs of worsening, with the month recording an average AQI of 223 -- the second-worst October reading in the last five years. For most of the month, residents breathed air classified as either ‘poor’ or ‘very poor,’ with 11 days falling in the ‘poor’ category and seven in the ‘very poor.’ There were no ‘good’ air days throughout the month.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) hourly bulletin, Delhi’s overall AQI on Friday morning stood at 309 at 9 a.m., placing it firmly in the ‘very poor’ range. “Out of 38 monitoring stations in the national capital, 26 reported air quality in the ‘very poor’ category,” the CPCB stated. Among the city’s localities, Bawana recorded the highest pollution level with an AQI of 366, followed by Jahangirpuri at 348.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that Delhi’s minimum temperature dropped to 12.7 degrees Celsius, 1.6 degrees below normal, while relative humidity at 8:30 a.m. was 67 percent. “A layer of shallow fog is anticipated to persist throughout the day,” the IMD added, warning of low visibility across several parts of the city. The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 26 degrees Celsius.