New Delhi: Haze enveloped Delhi and its suburbs on Tuesday, with the capital recording ‘very poor’ air quality for the fourth day on the trot.
According to a numerical model-based system developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, vehicular emissions (11 per cent to 16 per cent) and stubble burning (7 per cent to 16 per cent) currently stand as the two major contributors to the city’s air quality.
It also showed that pollution sources in Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, are responsible for up to 14 per cent of the air pollution in the capital.
The city’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 359, the highest so far this season. It was 347 on Monday, 325 on Sunday, 304 on Saturday and 261 on Friday, 256 on Thursday, 243 on Wednesday and 220 on Tuesday.
The AQI was 232 in neighbouring Ghaziabad, 313 in Faridabad, 233 in Gurugram, 313 in Noida and 356 in Greater Noida.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
The city’s air quality deteriorated to the ‘very poor’ category on Saturday due to slow wind speed at night and a dip in temperature.
The air quality is expected to remain ‘very poor’ for a few more days, according to the Centre’s Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi.
Delhi’s air quality in October 2023 was the worst since 2020 with meteorologists attributing it to the lack of rainfall.
The capital recorded an AQI of 210 this October, compared to 210 in October last year and 173 in October 2021, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.
Delhi saw just one rainy
day (5.4 mm of precipitation) in October 2023, in contrast
to six in October 2022
(129 mm) and seven in October 2021 (123 mm).
The Centre’s Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said the average wind speed during October 2023 was relatively low and spells of absolutely “still” conditions were also observed during the month.
Starting Wednesday (November 1), only electric, CNG and BS VI-compliant diesel buses will be allowed to operate between Delhi and the cities and towns of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan
falling within the NCR, according to directions issued by
the CAQM.