Smog cloaks Delhi, capital’s air quality worsens, dipping to ‘very poor’

Toxic smog veiled over the national capital, with air quality witnessing a sharp single-day surge on Thursday. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) for Delhi recorded by the Centre Pollution Control Board (CPCB) climbed up to a value of 373, jumping by nearly 100 points from Wednesday’s AQI readings of 279. Particulate Matter PM2.5 was noted as the primary pollutant for the city’s degrading air quality as per CPCB’s national daily 4 p.m. AQI bulletin.

Out of Delhi’s 39 air quality monitoring stations, 30 recorded ‘very poor’ air on Wednesday, while six registered ‘severe’ levels. The stations reporting ‘severe’ air quality included Wazirpur (414), Rohini and Bawana (410 each), Vivek Vihar and Ashok Vihar (405 each), and Jahangirpuri (404).

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As per CPCB classification, an AQI between 0 and 50 is ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 to 200 ‘moderate’, 201 to 300 ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’.

On Wednesday, the centre’s Decision Support System for Air Quality Management in Delhi reported that “other sources” accounted for 26.26 per cent of the city’s PM2.5 load — the leading contributor to air pollution. Delhi’s transport sector ranked second, contributing 14.26 per cent to local PM2.5 levels, while Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar followed in the third and fourth positions, contributing 12 and 11.45 per cent respectively.