Delhi’s air quality edged towards the “severe” category once again on Tuesday, just a day after it briefly improved to the “poor” range. The drop in air quality was attributed to calm winds, which allowed pollution levels to build up gradually. At 8 a.m., the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded a reading of 394 (very poor). On Monday, the 24-hour average AQI was 285 (poor) at 9 a.m., but it worsened to 349 (very poor) by 4 p.m., 377 by 7 p.m., and 391 by 10 p.m.
On Sunday, the AQI stood at 318 (very poor) at 4 p.m., and it reached 412 (severe) on Saturday. The last time Delhi’s AQI was below 300 was on October 29, when it was 268.
The persistent low wind speeds, which remained under six kilometers per hour throughout Monday, contributed to the stagnation of pollutants in the air. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) responded by revising the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) rules for educational institutions, allowing them to adopt a hybrid mode of classes instead of being fully online, following concerns raised by schools and the Supreme Court. The CAQM emphasized that it was not feasible for all schools to operate solely online and instructed state governments in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Delhi to ensure that classes are conducted in both hybrid and online modes where possible.
The CAQM added that students and their guardians would have the option to choose the online mode of education, where available.
Although wind speeds were expected to increase slightly on Tuesday, they were not predicted to be strong enough to significantly disperse the pollutants, meaning the AQI is likely to stay in the “very poor” range until Wednesday, possibly reaching “severe” levels by Thursday.
As of Tuesday morning, 17 out of 39 monitoring stations recorded a “severe” AQI, with the highest reading of 438 in Anand Vihar, East Delhi, followed by 430 in Rohini.
For reference, the AQI classification is as follows: 0-50 is “good,” 51-100 is “satisfactory,” 101-200 is “moderate,” 201-300 is “poor,” 301-400 is “very poor,” and above 400 is “severe.”
Delhi has now experienced eight severe air days this season, with the worst being 494 on November 18, marking the joint second-worst AQI recorded in the city’s history.
