The national capital, Delhi, continues to suffer from severely polluted air for the second day in a row, with the AQI reaching 418 on Wednesday. This reading, a slight decrease from Tuesday’s 428, places Delhi and Jind, Haryana, at the top of the most polluted cities list. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has responded by implementing Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which involves stringent anti-pollution measures.
A significant factor behind Delhi’s deteriorating air quality is the escalating contribution from stubble burning. On Wednesday, the smoke from agricultural fires reached a season-high of 22.5% of the total PM2.5 concentration in Delhi’s air. This demonstrates the substantial impact of stubble burning, which has now become the dominant source of pollution, eclipsing local emissions.
The percentage contribution from farm fires has shown a consistent increase, moving from 13.7% on Monday to 15.5% on Tuesday, and peaking at 22.5% on Wednesday. Compounding the issue are adverse weather conditions. Calm winds, low temperatures, and a shallow boundary layer are creating a trapping effect for pollutants, preventing them from dissipating. The air quality in the wider National Capital Region (NCR) is also dire, with Noida reporting an AQI of 408 and Rohtak at 406.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) data, 32 out of 39 monitoring stations in Delhi are showing ‘Severe’ air quality. Wazirpur, Chandni Chowk, and Bawana are identified as the most polluted areas, with AQI values exceeding 450. The Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) predicts that the AQI might slightly improve to ‘Very Poor’ from Thursday to Saturday, but the current hazardous conditions are set to persist for a few more days.