Delhi Air Quality Crisis: AQI Crosses 400 Mark Pushing Capital Into Severe Pollution Category

Delhi's air quality has deteriorated significantly, with pollution levels exceeding the 400 mark in multiple areas of the city on Saturday, positioning the national capital among the most polluted urban centers in India.

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI), which is documented daily at 4 pm, registered at 361 on Saturday. This reading placed Delhi in the 'red zone' and ranked it as the second most polluted city nationwide, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) statistics.

Numerous districts across the city experienced pollution levels within the 'severe' category. According to the CPCB's Sameer app data collected from 38 monitoring stations throughout the capital, readings showed an AQI of 404 at Alipur, 402 at ITO, 406 at Nehru Nagar, 411 at Vivek Vihar, 420 at Wazirpur, and 418 at Burari.

In neighboring NCR regions, Noida recorded an AQI of 354, Greater Noida 336, and Ghaziabad 339, all categorized as 'very poor' according to CPCB measurements.

On Friday, Delhi registered an AQI of 322, ranking it first among the most polluted cities in the country.

PM2.5 and PM10 continued to be the primary pollutants on Saturday.

The Decision Support System (DSS) for air quality forecasting indicated that stubble burning contributed approximately 30 percent to Delhi's pollution, while the transportation sector accounted for 15.2 percent on Sunday.

Satellite imagery revealed 100 stubble-burning incidents in Punjab, 18 in Haryana, and 164 in Uttar Pradesh on Friday.

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has forecasted that the city's air quality will remain in the 'very poor' category over the coming days. Since Diwali, the national capital's air quality has consistently remained 'poor' or 'very poor', occasionally deteriorating into the 'severe' zone.

According to the CPCB classification, an AQI between 0 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".