Delhi’s Air Quality Shows Improvement, Slips Back to ‘Poor’ Category

Delhi’s air pollution level dropped to an AQI of 277 on Tuesday morning, which is much better than before and has brought some relief to residents who have been breathing very toxic air, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences. However, the improvement is not seen the same everywhere and AQI levels going above 300 which falls in the severe category. Overall, the condition is improved but the problem of pollution is still a serious issue for some locations.

The slight reduction in pollution levels has relieved people and has given some breathing space especially to commuters and residents who were worried about the toxic air quality. Although Delhi’s current AQI still falls in the ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ range, which is still unhealthy but shows a clear improvement from the earlier severe plus conditions. Data from private air-quality monitors which has reported the AQI of 294 which confirms the improvement but also indicates that pollution is still a serious concern. At the same time, Delhi’s temperature dropped to around 18°C, making city colder and adding discomfort.

What Is Causing Delhi’s Toxic Air?

According to the Decision Support System, vehicle emissions alone is the single largest contributor accounting for 13.7 per cent to the total pollution load. Industries located in surrounding areas another add 11.4 per cent, while residential sources add 3.3 per cent. Residential sources like cooking fuel, generators and heating adds 3.3 per cent and the construction activities contributes 1.2 per cent through dust and debris, and the smaller share comes from waste burning accounts for about one per cent.

Among NCR districts, Jhajjar was the highest contributor at 19.6 per cent, followed by Sonipat at 8.6 per cent. Rohtak and Meerut each contributed 4.4 per cent to the overall pollution levels. Altogether these figures shows that city’s air quality is regional in nature and cannot be solved without resident’s coordination.

Delhi Weather Forecast and Temperature Update

According to the latest weather forecast, Delhi is likely to experience dense fog for several days which can lower the visibility especially during morning and at night. While the temperatures are likely to stay constant but the high humidity levels will make the weather feel heavier and reduce visibility. Even though pollution levels have come down compared to earlier days, the air is still toxic. The improvement does not eliminate health issues especially to children and the elderly. Residents are advised to stay indoors and limit the outside exposure when possible.

Area wise Delhi AQI today:

• Mundka – 178
• Najafgarh – 209
• Narela – 287
• Nehru Nagar – 340
• North Campus, DU – 262
• Okhla Phase 2 – 187
• Punjabi Bagh – 168
• R K Puram – 315
• Rohini – 314
• Alipur – 182
• Aero city – 203
• Anand Vihar- 211