Delhi’s air quality shows marginal improvement, AQI remains in ‘very poor’ category

Many areas in the National Capital Region (NCR) also reported air quality ranging between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’. Most areas in Noida reported air quality in the ‘Poor’ category, with Sector 125 recording AQI at 295 and Sector 62 at 276. In Gurugram, the AQI mostly remained in the ‘very poor’ category, with Sector 51 at 380 and Teri Gram at 334.

Stubble burning, often a significant contributor to deteriorating air quality, showed a reduced impact on Friday. According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, stubble burning contributed only around 3.45% to PM 2.5 levels, down from Thursday’s 5.85%, as reported by the Indian Express.

Despite the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) since October 6, and subsequent stringent measures by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), Delhi has already witnessed nine ‘severe’ air days in November. This is a threefold increase compared to the same period last year, raising concerns about the effectiveness of current measures.

A Hindustan Times report revealed lapses in waste burning prohibitions under GRAP, citing incidents near Anand Vihar ISBT on Friday. Anand Vihar, identified as one of Delhi’s pollution hot spots, recorded an average AQI of 406 (severe) at 4 PM on Friday, underscoring local challenges in enforcing pollution control measures.

In contrast, Mumbai experienced an improvement in air quality, providing relief to residents. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported an AQI of 140, while the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) recorded it as 136.