Delhi Air Quality update: Bad news for Delhiites as AQI to deteriorate further over weekend due to…, IMD sounds ‘orange’ alert on…

Delhi air quality remained in the 'very poor' category as the city continued to choke under a thick blanket of toxic smog on Friday.

Delhi Air Quality update: In more bad news for Delhiites battling severe pollution crisis over the past few months, Delhi’s air quality is likely to deteriorate further over the weekend, with IMD predicting that AQI levels in the national capital could slip into the ‘severe’ category due to meteorological reasons.

Why Delhi air quality is likely to deteriorate?

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘orange’ in the city alert for Saturday as the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has predicted that air quality may slip into the ‘severe’ bracket over the weekend. As per the early warning forecast, Delhi air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category on Saturday and is expected to slip into the ‘severe’ category on Sunday and Monday.

The IMD has forecast dense fog in Delhi over the coming days which is likely to further degrade the city air quality despite the implementation of stringent pollution-control measures by the authorities.

Delhi air quality remains ‘very poor’

Meanwhile, on Friday, Delhi air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category as the city continued to choke under a thick blanket of toxic smog with a 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 374, as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

Data from the CPCP’s SAMEER app showed that 11 of city’s 40 operational monitoring stations logged AQI in the ‘severe’ category, while 29 stations remained in the ‘very poor’ range, with Anand Vihar earning the dubious distinction of recording the highest AQI for the second straight day with a reading of 430 in the ‘severe-plus’ bracket.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’, according to CPCB standards.

Dense fog envelops Delhi

Delhi woke up to a smog-filled morning on Friday as AQI hovered near the ‘severe’ category, settling at 382, while dense to very dense fog was witnessed across the city, reducing the visibility to 50 metres at 8.30 am before improving slightly to 100 metres by 9.30 am, as per the IMD.

CPCB data showed 14 monitoring stations recorded ‘severe’ air quality, while 26 stations remained in the ‘very poor’ category during morning hours, with Vivek Vihar reported the worst air quality, with an AQI of 434.

What were the main pollutants?

According to data from the Decision Support System (DSS) for Air Quality Management, transport emerged as the single largest contributor to Delhi’s pollution, accounting for 15.9 per cent of the total share, while industries in the capital and its peripheries contributed 7.9 per cent, residential sources 3.8 per cent, construction activities 2.1 per cent, waste burning 1.3 per cent and road dust 1.1 per cent.

Among the National Capital Region (NCR) districts, Jhajjar recorded the highest contribution at 16.6 per cent, followed by Rohtak (5.5 per cent), Bhiwani (3.6 per cent), Sonipat (2 per cent) and Gurugram (1.8 per cent).

IMD predicts foggy weather

On the weather front, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 22.2 degrees Celsius, while minimum temperature dropped to 9 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degrees below normal, according to IMD data.

The IMD has forecast dense to very dense fog during the morning and forenoon on Saturday, with the city under an orange alert. The city’s maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 22 degrees Celsius and 8 degrees Celsius, respectively.