NEW DELHI: The national capital was still dealing with serious air pollution problems. A thick layer of mist and haze covered the city, making it very hard to see after the Diwali celebrations. The Air Quality Index (AQI) went up because of bad weather and the use of fireworks during the holidays.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) website said that the overall AQI for Delhi was 338 as of 8 am on Wednesday. This meant that the air was “Very Poor.” This worrying number shows that the health of residents, especially those who already have breathing problems, is seriously affected.
The city’s average was in the “Very Poor” range, but certain important areas had much worse “Severe” values (AQI 401–500). Punjabi Bagh had a worrying high of 433, and Wazirpur was close behind with 401. Ashok Vihar (382), Jahangirpuri (365), Vivek Vihar (361), Anand Vihar (353), Sonia Vihar (347), Alipur (320), Shadipur (320), and Burari Crossing (306) were also in the “Very Poor” range (AQI 301-400).
The problem wasn’t just in Delhi. In the National Capital Region (NCR), the air quality got worse as well. The AQI in Gurugram’s Sector 51 was 394, which is “Very Poor.” The AQI in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, was 297, and the AQI in Faridabad’s New Industrial Town station was 258. Both of them were in the “Poor” range.
Diwali Had the Worst Air Quality in Four Years
This year’s air quality problem after Diwali is especially bad, with pollution readings during the holiday being the highest in the prior four years. Pollution levels rose sharply overnight, reaching a very dangerous 675 PM2.5 levels. This peak is the highest that has been seen since 2021.
The AQI was recorded at 345 (“Very Poor”) on Diwali Monday at 4 pm, which was the average for the previous 24 hours. The AQI numbers on Diwali day over the past five years show how serious things are now: it was 330 in 2024, 218 in 2023, 312 in 2022, and 382 in 2021, according to CPCB data.
Keeping an eye on gaps in data and sources of pollution
The city’s monitoring network went down for a long time at the same time that pollutants rose sharply, mostly because of fireworks. During the worst pollution hours, real-time data from 30 of Delhi’s 39 Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) fell down for a few hours. An examination showed that only nine stations, or just 23% of the city’s network, captured data continuously. This left big gaps in important information during the pollution spike.
On Tuesday, the air was clearly dangerous all over the place. 35 out of 38 operable monitoring stations in Delhi were firmly in the “red zone,” which means that the air quality was “Very Poor” to “Severe.”
This year’s crisis was caused by:
Firecracker Emissions: Even though there were rules against it, the widespread use of fireworks, particularly the “green fireworks” that are less harmful to the environment, was a major immediate cause.
Stubble Burning: The seasonal practice of burning leftover crops in nearby states has also begun.
Bad weather: Low wind speeds and cooler temperatures have kept the contaminants close to the ground, where they can’t spread.
The city is on high alert right now, and officials are ready to put GRAP Stage-3 restrictions in place as the AQI dangerously near the 400 “Severe” level. The CPCB says that an AQI of 301 to 400 is “Very Poor” and that an AQI of 401 to 500 is “Severe.” This level of pollution can harm healthy people and make breathing problems worse for people who already have them.