Delhi's Air Quality Remains Poor: PM2.5 Levels Increase for Second Consecutive Year
Air quality worsens in Delhi in 2024 as PM2.5 rises after previous year
Air quality of the national capital city has steeped sharply this year 2024. This year, it became the second year on the trot as the city experienced an upward movement in its annual PM2.5 values. This came as a time when stubble burning cases dipped severely in the region of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi.
Levels of PM2.5 going up
According to a report by Centre for Science and Environment, PM2.5 concentration annually in Delhi increased to 104.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024. This was 3.4% higher than the level reached in 2023. It is over two times the national ambient air quality standard of 40 micrograms per cubic meter.
Although the levels in 2024 were still at 9.6 percent lower than the peak recorded in 2018 at 115.8 micrograms per cubic meter, the data indicates improvement by 3% with respect to the three-year average from 2021 to 2023. Gains achieved between 2018 and 2022 had reversed in controlling
