Delhi's Air Quality Deteriorates To Poor, A Station Records AQI Above 300
Delhi's 16 monitoring stations recorded moderate air quality, while the remaining 41 were in the poor category
New Delhi: Delhi's air quality deteriorated to the poor category on Wednesday, ending a four-day streak of moderate air quality, with one monitoring station recording very poor air quality as the AQI crossed the 300 mark. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the city deteriorated to 229 on Wednesday from 197 on Tuesday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Of the city's 58 monitoring stations, Vivek Vihar recorded the worst air quality, with an AQI of 316, placing it in the very poor category. Sixteen stations recorded moderate air quality, while the remaining 41 were in the poor category.
As per CPCB standards, 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.
Earlier this month, Delhi recorded poor air quality on October 21, when the AQI stood at 245, followed by 223 on October 22 and 230 on October 23. Air quality then remained in the moderate category for four consecutive days before deteriorating again on Wednesday.
The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi said the air quality is likely to remain in the moderate category from October 29 to October 31. However, the outlook for the next six days suggests it could range from moderate to poor. The system said a ventilation index below 6,000 square metres per second, coupled with an average wind speed of less than 10 kilometres per hour, is unfavourable for the dispersion of pollutants.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a generally cloudy sky with moderate rain on Thursday, followed by thunderstorms with rain on Friday.
The Decision Support System for Air Quality Management in Delhi said the transport sector contributed 19.3 per cent of the city's pollution on Wednesday. Delhi's energy sector contributed 5 per cent; industries in Delhi and the peripheral areas, 4.8 per cent; residential sources, 5.1 per cent; construction, 2.5 per cent; waste burning, 1.8 per cent; road dust, 1.3 per cent; and other sectors, 1.3 per cent.
Among the NCR districts, Ghaziabad contributed 11.8 per cent, Gautam Buddh Nagar 8.7 per cent, Meerut 8.6 per cent, Muzaffarnagar 5.7 per cent, Baghpat 4.2 per cent, Bulandshahr 3.9 per cent, Faridabad 3.06 per cent, Gurugram 2.1 per cent, Sonipat 1.5 per cent and Jhajjar 0.5 per cent. Stubble burning contributed 0.9 per cent, while other sources accounted for up to 9.6 per cent.
The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) said in its daily report that satellites detected 129 farm fire incidents across six states on October 27. Of these, satellites detected 33 incidents in Punjab, one in Haryana, 18 in Uttar Pradesh, 46 in Rajasthan, 7 in Uttarakhand and 24 in Madhya Pradesh.
Between September 15 and October 27, satellites detected 2,267 residue-burning events across the six states. These included 717 in Punjab, 22 in Haryana, 324 in Uttar Pradesh, 533 in Rajasthan, 159 in Uttarakhand and 510 in Madhya Pradesh. Delhi recorded two incidents during the period.