Delhi Air Quality Shows Slight Improvement but Remains ‘Very Poor’

New Delhi: Delhi’s air quality saw a minor improvement on Saturday, though the overall pollution level continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category. The city recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 305, down from Friday’s 369. The improvement has been attributed to favourable wind speed and direction, along with a reduction in stubble burning in surrounding regions.

Despite this slight relief, experts warn that Delhi’s air will stay in the ‘very poor’ range for the next few days. Mahesh Palawat, Vice President (Meteorology and Climate Change) at Skymet Weather, said wind speeds are expected to remain higher, which could prevent the air quality from dropping into the ‘severe’ category for at least the next two days.

Saturday marked the 16th consecutive day of unhealthy air in the capital. In the past week, Delhi’s AQI has hovered between 305 and 382: 377 on Thursday, 327 on Wednesday, 352 on Tuesday, and 382 on Monday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The CPCB classifies AQI from 301 to 400 as ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 as ‘severe’.

The CPCB’s Sameer app showed that unlike Friday—when eight monitoring stations recorded ‘severe’ readings—none of the 38 stations reported ‘severe’ levels on Saturday. Air monitoring data showed that 15 stations recorded ‘poor’ AQI, one showed ‘moderate’ levels, and the remaining stations were in the ‘very poor’ category.

Meanwhile, the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has forecast that the city will continue to face ‘very poor’ air quality throughout the coming week. On Saturday, winds from the northwest reached speeds of up to 15 kmph during the afternoon and evening, contributing to dispersion of pollutants.

The Decision Support System of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, estimated that vehicular emissions contributed 18.7 percent of the pollution load on Saturday, and is expected to contribute around 18.6 percent on Sunday.