Delhi air quality BIG update: Delhi AQI may slip into ‘very poor’ due to…, PM2.5 levels to be…

Delhi Air Quality: The Air Quality Index (AQI) is likely to plummet to the ‘very poor’ category from Thursday onwards as continued stubble burning in nearby states is expected to increase the concentration of PM2.5 in the national capital.

How stubble burning could impact Delhi air quality?

As per the Air Quality Early Warning System, Delhi’s air quality will likely slip into the ‘very poor’ category between November 6 and 8, with stubble burning predicted to emerge as the biggest contributor to the city’s PM2.5 concentration. The outlook for the subsequent six days also indicates that Delhi air quality will continue to remain in the ‘very poor’ bracket, it forecasted.

The daily mean of local and non-local fractional contribution to PM2.5 in Delhi by the DSS predicted that the contribution of stubble burning to city’s PM2.5 is estimated to be 21.5 percent on Thursday, rising to 36.9 percent on Friday, and 32.4 percent on Saturday, up from just 1.2 percent on Wednesday.

As per satellite data showed that on Wednesday, 94 stubble-burning cases were detected in Punjab, 13 in Haryana, and 74 in Uttar Pradesh.

Experts predict that vehicular traffic will likely be the second-highest contributor to PM2.5 in Delhi, accounting for 16.2 percent on Thursday, 11.2 per cent on Friday, and 12.3 per cent on Saturday.

Delhi AQI today

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Delhiites woke up to a hazy morning as a thin layer of smog blanketed the city, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) of 278, according to the morning air quality bulletin issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Delhi has remained in the ‘poor’ category for the past two days — November 4 and 5 — with AQI below 300, and before that, AQI levels in the city had dropped to ‘very poor’ category, with readings above 300.

Notably, Delhi air quality levels plummeted to hazardous levels in the national capital post Diwali, prompting the city’s BJP government to launch cloud seeding operations to control the rising pollution. However, the rials did not trigger artificial rain in Delhi as many had hoped, but the government has claimed that PM10 levels dropped significantly at locations where the operations were carried out.

(With inputs from agencies)