Delhi air quality remained in the poor category for a second consecutive day on Thursday, with the 24-hour average AQI recorded at 223 and authorities expecting pollution levels to remain poor for several more days.
The AQI was 245 on Wednesday, when Delhi entered the poor range for the first time this season. On Thursday, the reading stood at 226 at 8am before easing marginally to 223 at 4pm, when the Central Pollution Control Board’s 24-hour average bulletin was released. It improved slightly further to 220 at 8pm.
The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, which operates under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, forecast that air quality would remain in the poor category until Saturday and probably for the following six days. The forecast comes as cooler conditions and calm northwesterly winds limit the dispersal of pollutants over the city.
The contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s PM2.5 concentration was not available for Thursday, although it was estimated at around 7.4%. Pollution from crop-residue fires was reported alongside emissions from transport, industry and power plants. Firecracker emissions linked to Dussehra were also cited as an additional short-term source of particulate pollution.
Sunil Dahiya, founder of the think tank Envirocatalyst, said Delhi’s existing emissions load, combined with Dussehra firecrackers, had pushed PM2.5 levels to nearly three times their level a few days earlier. He said calm, cooler northwesterly winds were trapping pollution and carrying smoke from stubble burning into the capital along with emissions from urban and industrial activity.
Dahiya said pollution-control measures would need to be taken in advance and at the source across Delhi and the wider airshed to prevent conditions from becoming hazardous during winter. His comments point to the way Delhi’s air-quality problem extends beyond municipal boundaries, with weather conditions and emissions from surrounding regions affecting the city’s daily readings.
The Commission for Air Quality Management invoked Stage I measures under the Graded Response Action Plan after Delhi’s air quality entered the poor category on Wednesday. The available report did not specify additional restrictions beyond the activation of the first stage.
Recent seasonal trends show how quickly Delhi’s air quality can deteriorate after entering the poor band. In October last year, the AQI reached 211 on October 14 and worsened to the very poor category at 345 by October 20. In October 2024, Delhi entered the poor category at an AQI of 224 on October 13 and reached the very poor range at 310 by October 21.
The immediate forecast remains focused on the next several days, while the CAQM’s Stage I response and the Early Warning System’s subsequent assessments will determine how authorities respond as winter pollution conditions develop.
