Sudden dust storm chokes Capital & sparks political blame game over deteriorating AQI

NEW DELHI: Gusty winds blowing from west Rajasthan covered parts of Delhi with dust Thursday morning, sharply spiking air pollution levels and reducing visibility. The poor air quality triggered a political sparring between the BJP and AAP, with both pulling no punches.

PM10 level rose by nearly 145 per cent and was recorded at 337.6 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre) at 3 pm while PM2.5 soared by over 200 per cent and read 196.1 µg/m3 at that point in time, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.

At the same time on Wednesday, the PM10 level was 133.3 µg/m3 and PM 2.5 level 41.9 µg/m3.

The CAQM Sub-Committee on GRAP noted a sharp rise in PM2.5 and PM10 levels due to dust from western India, pushing Delhi’s AQI to 292 on May 15. The spike, attributed to high wind-driven dust transport, is considered episodic. Forecasts predict a return to ‘Moderate’ AQI levels in the coming days.

Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was in the ‘poor’ category at 4 pm on Thursday with a reading of 292. It was first time in close to two weeks that the air quality dipped to this zone. The city had been breathing ‘moderate’ quality air since April 29.

The India Meteorological Department said a high north-south pressure gradient over northwest India caused strong dust-raising surface winds gusting up to 30-40 kmph that sped through Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and north Rajasthan May 14 night to next morning.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi reported the lowest visibility of 1,200 metres intermittently during this period. Moreover, there was no forecast for such a prolonged and impactful dust storm in the Delhi-NCR region.

Health experts warned people of the hazardous effects of breathing dust-laden fine PM2.5 and PM10 particles, that are a fraction of the width of a human hair, saying these matters can lodge deep in the lungs and even enter the bloodstream and potentially cause progressive lung diseases and long-term damage.

“Masks can help filter out dust particles but they should fit snugly. Keep windows and doors closed, or use an air purifier at home.

Avoid rubbing your eyes as it may lead to injury. If there is irritation, wash the eyes thoroughly with plain water. It is also important to stay well-hydrated at all times,” a doctor at the Lok Nayak Hospital (LNJP) said.

The dust had not settled yet that a political kerfuffle stirred up with the opposition AAP claiming the situation was “never this bad” during its rule and the BJP terming the charge an attempt at scoring political brownie points.

Former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal claimed on X that air pollution “was never this bad” in May under AAP’s rule. Atishi cited CPCB data showing AQI never crossed 243 on May 15 from 2022–2024, while it hit 500 this year.

Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa responded: “It’s unfortunate a former CM is using a natural phenomenon to score political brownie points… For 10 years, AAP allowed Delhi to drown in mountains of untreated legacy waste, broken and dust-choked roads with ZERO accountability on pollution.”

Experts attributed the spike to a pre-monsoon

dust storm.