Delhi’s air quality deteriorated into the poor category at multiple monitoring locations on Tuesday evening, with the city’s air quality forecast to remain poor for the next six days as temperatures fall and winter conditions begin to set in.
According to the air quality forecast system cited in the report, Delhi’s air quality is expected to reach the poor category on October 21 and 22 and remain in that category over the following six days. The deterioration comes as the city records a gradual fall in temperatures, particularly during the night.
Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 30.8 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, 0.8 degrees below normal. The minimum temperature was 17.7 degrees Celsius, or 0.7 degrees below normal, according to information from the India Meteorological Department. The report linked the fall in temperature with a rise in pollution levels, although it did not provide a specific source-apportionment assessment for the increase.
The city’s air quality index was recorded at 161 in the morning and rose to 179 by 4 pm. The Central Pollution Control Board classifies AQI readings from 101 to 200 as moderate and readings from 201 to 300 as poor. By 6 pm, the report said, AQI readings at 17 locations had crossed 200. It said around a dozen stations had recorded readings above 200 at 8 am.
Among the locations named in the report, Bawana recorded an AQI of 264, Jahangirpuri 261, Dwarka Sector 8 recorded 252, NSUT Dwarka 241, Mundka 236, Delhi Technological University 230 and Chandni Chowk 223. Najafgarh recorded 213, Narela 212, the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi station 207 and Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range 202. These readings place the named stations in the poor category under the CPCB scale.
Weather conditions are also expected to remain relevant to the city’s air quality over the next few days. The maximum humidity recorded on Tuesday was 96 per cent, while the minimum was 41 per cent. The weather department expects temperatures on Wednesday to remain between 31 and 33 degrees Celsius during the day and between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius at night.
Partly cloudy skies are possible over Delhi on October 24 and 25, according to the forecast cited in the report, but no rain is expected. The absence of rainfall means the immediate weather outlook does not include a reported precipitation event that could alter the prevailing air-quality conditions.
The latest readings show how quickly conditions can vary across Delhi’s monitoring network during the transition into winter. While the citywide AQI remained below the poor threshold in the morning, several individual stations crossed 200, underscoring the uneven exposure faced by residents in different parts of the capital. The forecast system’s six-day outlook will determine whether the deterioration remains a short-term shift or becomes a longer period of poor air quality.
