Delhi’s overall air quality index (AQI) saw a slight deterioration on Monday morning, climbing to 300, positioning it at the upper limit of the ‘poor’ category. This reading, taken around 8:05 am, was marginally higher than Sunday’s reading of 279, indicating that the period of respite may be ending.
The Brief End to the ‘Very Poor’ Streak
Sunday, November 30, marked the end of a troubling 24-day streak of ‘very poor’ air quality in the capital. The improvement, which saw the AQI drop to 279 (poor) from the previous day’s 305 (very poor), was largely attributed to meteorological factors.
- Wind Dispersion: According to CPCB data, strong northwesterly winds—which were blowing at a consistent speed of 10–15 km/hr throughout Saturday afternoon and Sunday—played a crucial role. Experts noted that this wind flow, originating from the mountains towards the plains, helped in the effective dispersion of pollutants not only across Delhi but also the adjoining areas of the NCR, including Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad.
Current Air Quality Breakdown
Despite the overall AQI remaining in the ‘poor’ category (201-300), nearly two-thirds of the city’s monitoring stations were reporting air quality in the worse ‘very poor’ category (301-400) on Monday morning.
- Overall AQI: 300 (‘Poor’)
- Monitoring Status: 23 out of 38 stations listed on the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Sameer app recorded ‘very poor’ air quality.
- Worst Affected Areas: The Nehru Nagar monitoring station reported the worst AQI at 354. Other highly polluted stations included Rohini (343), Bawana (339), RK Puram (338), Mundka (330), and Anand Vihar (327).
- Best Reading: The lowest AQI was recorded at the NSIT Dwarka station with a reading of 202.
Cold Wave Deepens in Delhi
Adding to the poor air quality concerns, Delhi experienced a sharp drop in temperature, making it the coldest morning of the season so far.
- Record Low Temperature: Readings from Delhi’s Safdarjung station on Monday showed the minimum temperature at 5.7∘C, which is 4.6∘C below normal.
- Historical Context: This temperature is the lowest minimum temperature of the season and the lowest November reading since at least 2022. This follows another low recorded on Wednesday, November 26, when the minimum plunged to 8∘C.
The city is currently facing a dual public health challenge as the air quality struggles near the ‘very poor’ mark and the deep winter cold sets in.