Delhi's Air Quality Marginally Improves After Rain, Still in 'Poor' Category

The air quality in Delhi continues to remain in the "poor" category on Saturday (11 November), according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

This comes after rainfall in the national capital and its neighbouring regions slightly improved the air quality by clearing the toxic smog, offering a bit of respite to the inhabitants.

Today's Air Quality Index (AQI) readings for Anand Vihar, RK Puram, Punjabi Bagh, and ITO stand at 282, 220, 236, and 263, respectively.

Delhi was gasping for air after a week of suffocating pollution, with levels of harmful particles up to 100 times the World Health Organization's safe limit, NDTV reported.

Last Thursday, the city ranked as the most polluted globally.

In an effort to curb pollution and enforce anti-pollution norms, the Delhi Police conducted inspections of trucks transporting non-essential items at the Ghazipur and Tikri borders on Friday night, in line with the GRAP 4 guidelines.

Under Delhi's air pollution mitigation strategy (GRAP Stage IV), only CNG, electric, and BS VI-compliant vehicles from other states are permitted entry into the city, barring those used for essential services.

The meteorological department predicts a mix of partly cloudy skies and light mist or shallow fog in the mornings of Sunday and Monday. This is expected to be followed by predominantly clear skies with some shallow fog in the mornings of Tuesday and Wednesday.

Punjab experienced light to moderate rain, which significantly alleviated the issue of widespread farm fires, with only six instances of stubble burning reported on Friday.

During this paddy harvesting season, Punjab has witnessed 23,626 instances of stubble burning. Following stringent actions against such practices, the state saw a 68 per cent reduction in such incidents, with 639 cases noted on Thursday.

An official from the Indian Meteorological Department stated that post the western disturbance, wind speeds are likely to rise from the present 5-6 kmph to about 15 kmph on November 11. This expected increase in wind velocity might aid in dispersing pollutants, thereby enhancing air quality before Diwali. The weather department forecasts "mainly clear skies with shallow fog" for today.

The air quality in Delhi-NCR worsened over the last week, due to dropping temperatures, stagnant air preventing the spread of pollutants, and an increase in paddy stubble burning post-harvest in Punjab and Haryana.

Among global capitals, Delhi's air quality ranks as one of the poorest. A study by the University of Chicago has found that air pollution in the city could shorten life expectancy by nearly 12 years.