Delhi Air Quality Reaches Near-Severe Levels with AQI 372: Transport Sector Emerges as Top Contributor

New Delhi:

Delhi's air quality continued its downward spiral on Tuesday evening, reaching an AQI of 372, dangerously approaching the 'severe' classification. More than 15 monitoring locations across the city have already recorded air quality in the severe category.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the 24-hour average AQI stood at 372 by 4 pm Tuesday, showing significant deterioration from Monday's 304 and Sunday's 279.

The CPCB's Sameer app revealed that 16 out of 39 monitoring stations registered AQI readings above 400, falling in the 'severe' category, a level known to have serious health implications. Areas with severe pollution included Burari, Anand Vihar, Mundka, Bawana, Vivek Vihar, Rohini, Sonia Vihar, Ashok Vihar, and Punjabi Bagh among others.

CPCB standards classify AQI between 0-50 as 'good', 51-100 as 'satisfactory', 101-200 as 'moderate', 201-300 as 'poor', 301-400 as 'very poor', and 401-500 as 'severe'.

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi forecasts that the city will likely remain in the 'very poor' category in the coming days, with mist or haze expected during nighttime hours.

Weather conditions show surface winds blowing from the southwest at calm to light speeds, gradually increasing to below 5 kmph in the afternoon. Wind speeds are expected to rise to approximately 10 kmph from the north during evening and night hours.

On Tuesday, the transport sector emerged as the largest local contributor to Delhi's pollution at 18.4 percent, followed by peripheral industries at 9.2 percent. Neighboring cities also contributed significantly: Noida (8.2 percent), Baghpat (6.2 percent), Ghaziabad (4.6 percent), Panipat (3.3 percent), and Gurugram (2.9 percent). Transport emissions are predicted to constitute 15.6 percent of pollution on Wednesday.

Weather-wise, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 25.8 degrees Celsius, 0.5 degrees above normal, while the minimum temperature was 9.6 degrees Celsius, 0.1 degree above normal, according to the IMD.

For Wednesday, the meteorological department forecasts fog with maximum and minimum temperatures expected around 24 and 8 degrees Celsius respectively.