The national capital’s brief respite from choking air didn’t last long. After a rare morning of relatively improved air quality on Monday, the city’s air took a sharp turn for the worse by the afternoon, slipping back into the “very poor” category. By this morning, it had turned “severe” again, with the AQI in Anand Vihar crossing 431 as of 7 am.
The improvement seen on Monday morning, when Delhi’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 285 (“poor”), was short-lived. By 4 pm, the AQI had shot up to 349 (“very poor”) and further worsened to 391 by 10 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Comparatively, Sunday’s AQI reading at 4 pm was 318, marking Monday as significantly worse.
Out of the city’s 40 air quality monitoring stations, 14 reported “severe” AQI levels by 4 pm, with Mundka and Bawana recording alarmingly high readings of 436 and 422, respectively. The CPCB defines an AQI over 400 as “severe,” signifying hazardous air conditions.
The Centre’s Early Warning System (EWS) has forecast further deterioration in the coming days. The AQI is expected to remain in the “very poor” range on Tuesday and Wednesday, with Thursday predicted to breach the “severe” category. This could push AQI levels beyond 400, indicating an extreme public health emergency.
The dramatic reversal in air quality highlights the dependence on weather conditions. Sunday’s clear blue skies gave way to a hazy, smog-filled Monday morning. Experts noted that calm winds overnight and into Monday morning contributed to the worsening pollution.
Real-time data from the CPCB revealed the alarming spike in PM2.5 levels, the most harmful particulate matter. On Sunday morning, the PM2.5 concentration stood at 223 µg/m³ but dropped to 69 µg/m³ by evening as wind speeds increased. However, as winds calmed, levels began climbing again, peaking at 394 µg/m³ by noon on Monday — over six times the safe limit of 60 µg/m³.https://jionews.com/headline/674531eed17440661433df2b