Delhi: Delhi’s air quality continued in the very poor category for the 15th consecutive day Saturday, with the Central Pollution Control Board recording an Air Quality Index of 338 at 7 a.m., representing a slight improvement from Friday’s reading of 385.
Citywide Monitoring Shows Persistent Poor Conditions
CPCB monitoring stations across the capital Saturday morning revealed most areas remained in the very poor category. Locations including Anand Vihar (354), Ashok Vihar (347), Bawana (364), Burari (347), Chandni Chowk (351), Dwarka Sector 8 (368), ITO (343), Patparganj (341), Punjabi Bagh (355), Rohini (364), and Vivek Vihar (358) all exceeded the 300 AQI threshold.
Some stations recorded marginally better readings in the poor range, including IGI Airport (295), Dilshad Garden (272), Mandir Marg (251), and NSIT Dwarka (252).
Neighboring National Capital Region cities also reported poor to very poor air quality, with Noida at 344, Ghaziabad at 333, Gurugram at 293, and Faridabad at 207.
Week-Long Pollution Trend
Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI Friday stood at 369, following readings of 377 on Thursday, 327 on Wednesday, 352 on Tuesday, and 382 on Monday—all within the very poor category. Friday morning saw 19 of the city’s 39 monitoring stations register severe category air quality during early hours.
Dwarka Sector 8 recorded the highest city reading Friday at 414, according to CPCB’s Sameer app.
Pollution Source Analysis
The Decision Support System operated by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology identified vehicular emissions as contributing 18 percent to Delhi’s pollution. Neighboring districts Sonipat, Karnal, and Panipat contributed 8.7 percent, 3.9 percent, and 6.9 percent respectively.
Stubble burning accounted for 1.2 percent of pollution, with Saturday projections estimating vehicular emissions at 18.4 percent and stubble burning at 1.7 percent.
Forecast Indicates Continued Poor Conditions
The Air Quality Early Warning System predicts air quality will remain in the very poor range throughout the coming week, offering little respite for residents.
The India Meteorological Department has forecast fog for Saturday, with maximum temperatures around 26 degrees Celsius and minimum temperatures near 11 degrees. Weather conditions are not expected to significantly alter pollution levels in the immediate term.
