Delhi chokes as air turns ‘severe’ for first time this season

Delhi’s air quality on Tuesday deteriorated sharply, slipping into the ‘severe’ category for the first time this season and adding to residents’ discomfort.

At 4 p.m., the city’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 426, entering the dark red zone and marking the season’s highest level after Monday’s reading of 391, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Advertisement

After remaining in the “very poor” range for several days, the air quality worsened early Tuesday morning as stagnant weather conditions and local emissions combined to trap pollutants near the surface.

Out of 39 air quality monitoring stations across Delhi, 33 recorded AQI levels above 400, while most of the remaining stations hovered close to the severe threshold. The worst-hit areas included Wazirpur (462), Bawana (460), Mundka (457), Punjabi Bagh (454), Jahangirpuri (453), Chandni Chowk (452), Mathura Road (452), and Rohini (451), according to data from the Sameer app.

As per CPCB’s classification, an AQI between 400 and 500 is considered ‘severe’, posing health risks even to healthy individuals and causing serious respiratory issues among those with pre-existing conditions.

A layer of dense fog and near-zero wind speeds further worsened conditions, trapping pollutants at ground level and disabling the city’s natural ventilation.

According to forecasts by the Decision Support System (DSS), the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s PM2.5 levels, which was negligible earlier, rose to about 13 percent on Monday and was estimated at 6.6 percent on Tuesday.