After Brief Improvement, Delhi Pollution Spikes to ‘Very Poor’ Again; No Respite Likely for Next Few Days

After reaching an unimaginable 999 on the Air Quality Index (AQI) in many areas of the national capital during Diwali, conditions seemed to have started improving. But this was only a brief lull, and conditions in many Delhi suburbs began deteriorating once again since last night.

According to sources, the city's AQI stood at an abysmal 338 this morning, having worsened by almost 50 points since yesterday. Prior to this uptick, Delhi's 24-hour average AQI had actually dropped massively, recording 405 on Friday and 319 by Saturday.

For context, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good"; 51 and 100 "satisfactory"; 101 and 200 "moderate"; 201 and 300 "poor"; 301 and 400 "very poor"; and 401 and 500 "severe".

Much of this weekend’s improvement was attributed to favourable wind speeds and direction, leading the Centre to removing curbs on pollution causing activities such as non-essential construction work.

Unfortunately, the lack of significant rain or winds in the region means that major improvement in air quality is unlikely for the city over the next few days. With recent reports noting that only 1,377 farm fires have been recorded in Punjab over the past few days, it will be interesting to see how the downtick in stubble burning will affect Delhi air over the next few months.

Reportedly, Delhi is taking steps to combat its rampant pollution woes, installing fog fountains at high-traffic roundabouts to help settle vehicle emissions. Notably, according to a recent IIT Kanpur study, vehicular emissions accounted for 38% of the capital's air pollution last Sunday.

In order to minimise the impacts of air pollution, Delhiites are advised to avoid all physical activity outdoors, stop any exertion in case of unusual coughing, chest discomfort, wheezing, breathing difficulty, or fatigue. Windows must be kept shut and people are advised against burning anything, such as wood, candles or even incense. N-95 masks or P-100 respirators may help if one goes out.

**

For weather, science, space, and COVID-19 updates on the go, download The Weather Channel App (on Android and iOS store). It's free!