Delhi's Air Quality To Worsen, IMD Predicts 'Very Poor' AQI By Sunday

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast mainly clear skies and a reduction in wind speeds over the next seven days, conditions that could further hinder pollutant dispersal.

Pollution levels in Delhi are expected to rise significantly in the coming days. On Thursday, the national capital recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 283, remaining in the 'poor' category for the second consecutive day, after an AQI of 230 on Wednesday.

The Air Quality Early Warning System of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) predicted on Thursday that Delhi’s air quality will stay in the ‘poor’ category until Saturday but fall to the ‘very poor’ category by Sunday. It also forecasted that the air quality might fluctuate between the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ categories over the next six days.

“Meteorological conditions are highly unfavourable for effective dispersion of pollutants. Additional emissions from stubble or waste burning are likely to deteriorate air quality significantly,” according to the report by the IITM.

GRAP Stage 1 Post-Dussehra Celebrations

The Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Tuesday after a sharp AQI decline post-Dussehra celebrations in NCR and adjoining areas. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast mainly clear skies and a reduction in wind speeds over the next seven days, conditions that could further hinder pollutant dispersal.

AQI data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that as of 11 a.m. Thursday, Mundka recorded the worst air quality with an AQI of 381, while Najafgarh had the lowest reading at 193 among 32 monitoring stations.

On Wednesday, Anand Vihar’s AQI reached 'severe' levels, crossing 400. By 5 a.m. Thursday, it improved to 'poor' with an AQI of 294, though particulate matter (PM) concentrations remained high. PM10 levels reached 1,451 µg/m3, and PM2.5 levels hit 320 µg/m3, both well above the CPCB limits of 100 µg/m3 and 60 µg/m3, respectively.

The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) confirmed on Wednesday that 99 active fire events of crop residue burning in Punjab, 59 in Uttar Pradesh, 14 in Haryana, and one in Delhi. From September 15 to October 16, a total of 1,212, 573, 587, and eight cases have come to light from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi.

 

It is the highest number for Delhi and Uttar Pradesh since 2020. The highest for Uttar Pradesh was recorded in 2021 with 581 cases and four crop residue-burning events were reported in 2020 in the national capital.