Delhi air quality nears severe mark on Diwali morning
A thick haze enveloped the capital as firecracker use and stubble burning pushed pollution levels close to the severe threshold.
Delhi woke up to a thick blanket of toxic haze on Diwali morning, with the city's air quality nearing the severe category. According to reports from Hindustan Times and Rediff, the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 383, showing a marginal improvement from 382 on Friday.
Data from monitoring stations showed that 24 of the 54 stations recorded severe air quality, while the rest fell into the very poor category. Jahangirpuri recorded the highest AQI at 450, followed by RK Puram at 448.
The Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi indicated that pollution levels are expected to stay within the severe category on November 8 and 9. Over the following six days, the air quality is predicted to fluctuate between severe and very poor levels.
The deterioration is attributed to several factors, including Diwali celebrations, vehicular emissions, and seasonal stubble burning in neighbouring states. The Decision Support System for Delhi identified transport as the largest contributor, accounting for 21.4 per cent of the city's pollution on Saturday.
Satellite data showed that farm fires in Punjab and Haryana reached their highest levels this season on Saturday. The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) forecasts that the AQI could climb to 406 by 4am on Monday, moving past the 400 threshold into the severe category.