Delhi Air Quality Deteriorates to 'Very Poor' Category: No Improvement Expected Until December 13

The India Meteorological Department has predicted shallow to moderate fog for Friday as Delhi's air quality deteriorates.

New Delhi's air quality has once again deteriorated to the 'very poor' category after a brief two-day improvement, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 307.

Among the capital's 40 monitoring stations, 25 recorded 'very poor' air quality levels, with Rohini experiencing the worst conditions at an AQI of 372, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's Sameer app.

The Decision Support System for Delhi's Air Quality Management identified transportation as the primary pollution contributor at 16.6 percent. Delhi and peripheral industries accounted for 8.3 percent, residential sources contributed 4 percent, and construction activities added 2.2 percent to the pollution load.

In the National Capital Region (NCR), neighboring areas significantly impacted Delhi's air quality, with Jhajjar contributing 18 percent, Rohtak 5.8 percent, Bhiwani 3.9 percent, Sonipat 2.7 percent, and Gurgaon 1.9 percent.

According to the CPCB classification system, an AQI between 0-50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.

The morning air quality was recorded in the 'poor' category with an AQI of 288. The Air Quality Early Warning System has predicted that conditions will likely remain 'very poor' until Saturday.

Meanwhile, temperature readings showed the maximum temperature in Delhi at 25.6 degrees Celsius, which is 0.8 degrees below normal, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 8.6 degrees Celsius, one degree below the seasonal average.

At Safdarjung Observatory, the official weather station for Delhi, similar readings were observed with maximum and minimum temperatures at 25.6 and 8.6 degrees Celsius respectively.

Other areas of the city also recorded varying temperatures: Palam registered a maximum of 22.7 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 9.3 degrees Celsius; Lodi Road recorded 26.0 and 8.6 degrees Celsius; Ridge area showed 24.9 and 9.3 degrees Celsius; while Ayanagar noted 25.4 and 9.2 degrees Celsius.

The relative humidity levels fluctuated from 91 percent in the morning to 65 percent by evening.

For Friday, meteorological forecasts indicate shallow to moderate fog conditions with expected minimum and maximum temperatures around 9 degrees Celsius and 24 degrees Celsius respectively.