Delhi has breathed the most polluted air this November as compared to the past nine years. The air quality on Thursday remained in the 'Very Poor' category. The Air Quality Index (AQI) at 9 am today stood at 366, reported news agency PTI. Six out of 37 monitoring stations (Punjabi Bagh, Bawana, Mundka, Nehru Nagar and Jahangirpuri) recorded AQI in the 'Severe' category. The minimum temperature settled at 12.6 Degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average and the maximum is expected to hover around 24 Degrees Celsius. According to a bulletin from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the skyline of the national capital will be covered with clouds and thundershowers are expected during the day following which the pollution level might decline further.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai told news agency ANI that the fluctuations in pollution levels can be witnessed today as the windspeed has reduced. He added that though the Centre's anti-pollution measure GRAP-3 has been removed, all departments must follow preemptive measures under GRAP 1 and 2.
The Environment Minister said, "As per the speculations earlier that the windspeed has turned slow, one can see fluctuations in the pollution level which we can see today as well. We had a meeting regarding the same yesterday and all departments were advised to take proper care. Grap 3 has been removed but all departments must follow all the preemptive measures under GRAP 1 and 2, since if the windspeed is very low, then one can see its effects on the pollution level."
November 2023 — Most Polluted Since Introduction Of AQI
According to a Times of India report, November 2023 was the most polluted month as compared to the past nine years i.e, 2015, when the concept of Air Quality Index was introduced. There have been 17 days so far in this month as opposed to 12 days in 2021 and 11 in 2016 when the AQI was recorded in the 'Severe' or 'Near Severe' category.
According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM)'s early warning system, the air quality is likely to remain 'Poor' on Thursday and Friday, and turn 'Very Poor' by Saturday and remain in that category for the next six days, as reported by the Times of India.
The reason behind this bad air quality is the combination of stubble burning and high local pollution. Times of India quoted the Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, Anumita Roychowdhury, as saying, "The combination of adverse meteorology, impact of farm fires and high local pollution has made November so polluted this year. Even when the farm fire season was over, the average AQI of Delhi remained above 390 with many stations witnessing 'severe' air quality. This shows the high influence of pollution sources in local and surrounding regions."