Delhi’s air quality is expected to remain in the poor category for at least nine more days, with weak winds restricting the dispersal of pollutants across the capital and the city’s vehicle emissions remaining the largest identified contributor, according to the latest forecast and pollution data cited by Jagran.
Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index of 230 on Friday, placing it in the poor category. The air-quality early warning system forecast that conditions would remain poor until October 26, with little improvement expected during the following six days as well.
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s Sameer application showed that three of Delhi’s 56 monitoring stations recorded air quality in the very poor category. Pusa recorded the highest AQI at 324. Air quality was classified as poor at 36 monitoring stations and moderate at 17 stations.
The distribution of readings indicates that pollution was not uniform across the city. While the overall city average remained poor, some monitoring locations were already experiencing very poor conditions, exposing residents in those areas to substantially worse air than the citywide figure suggests.
Experts cited in the report attributed the worsening conditions primarily to low wind speeds and an atmosphere that was not allowing pollutants to disperse effectively. The forecast identified a ventilation index below 6,000 square metres per second and average wind speeds below 10 kilometres per hour as unfavourable conditions for pollutant dispersion.
The figures from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology’s decision support system placed vehicles as the largest contributor to Delhi’s pollution, with a share of 20.3 per cent. Stubble burning and residential activities together accounted for 5.1 per cent, while industries contributed 4.2 per cent.
The data also shows that Delhi’s air is influenced by emissions beyond the capital’s administrative boundary. Among neighbouring National Capital Region districts, Gurugram had the highest identified contribution at 8.8 per cent, followed by Jhajjar at 6.1 per cent and Gautam Buddh Nagar at 4.7 per cent. Ghaziabad contributed 3.7 per cent, Sonipat 3.5 per cent and Faridabad 3.3 per cent.
These figures place Delhi’s air-quality problem within a wider regional emissions system rather than treating it solely as a city-level issue. The reported contributions from vehicles, neighbouring districts, residential activity, industry and crop-residue burning reflect multiple sources operating across jurisdictions, even as the immediate impact is experienced by people living and working in the capital.
Weather conditions are also expected to keep influencing pollution levels. The India Meteorological Department recorded a maximum temperature of 32.2 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 19 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung on Friday. Saturday is expected to be partly cloudy, with the maximum temperature forecast to reach 33 degrees Celsius.
The near-term forecast therefore points to continued poor air quality, with no significant relief expected over the next several days. The next key indicator will be whether wind speeds and atmospheric ventilation improve enough to disperse the pollutants currently accumulating over Delhi.
