Delhi's Air Quality Remains 'Poor' For Fourth Consecutive Day With Rising Pollution Levels Before Diwali

Delhi's air quality has remained in the 'poor' category for the fourth consecutive day on Friday as the capital city continues to struggle with increasing pollution levels before Diwali celebrations.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported that Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 254 at 4 pm, which falls within the 'poor' category classification.

In the surrounding National Capital Region (NCR), Ghaziabad registered a 'very poor' AQI of 306, making it the most polluted city in India on Friday. Other neighboring cities also showed concerning readings, with Noida at 278 and Gurugram at 266, both in the 'poor' range, while Faridabad maintained a "moderate" air quality with an AQI of 105.

Delhi-NCR cluster cities dominated the list of India's most polluted urban areas, with Ghaziabad topping the chart and Noida, Gurugram, and Delhi all appearing among the top 10 most polluted cities nationally.

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

Five of Delhi's 38 monitoring stations reported 'very poor' air quality levels. Anand Vihar recorded the highest AQI at 382, followed by Wazirpur (351), Jahangirpuri (342), Bawana (315), and Siri Fort (309), as per CPCB data.

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has predicted similar conditions for the upcoming days.

Transportation emissions were identified as the primary contributor to Delhi's air pollution on Friday, accounting for 17.9 percent of total emissions according to the Decision Support System (DSS).

Satellite data revealed multiple stubble burning incidents across the region: 20 in Punjab, 2 in Haryana, and 49 in Uttar Pradesh.

Weather conditions showed Delhi's maximum temperature at 32.6 degrees Celsius, 0.6 degrees below normal, while the minimum temperature was recorded at 18.4 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees below normal.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported relative humidity levels at 74 percent at 8:30 am and 61 percent at 5:30 pm.

For Saturday, the IMD forecasts a misty morning with temperatures expected to reach a maximum of 33 degrees Celsius and a minimum of around 19 degrees Celsius.