Delhi’s Air Turns Toxic as Dense Smog and Severe Pollution Blanket the Capital

New Delhi: After a short-lived respite earlier in the week, Delhi’s air quality deteriorated sharply on Saturday, with multiple locations registering ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ pollution levels amid thick smog that significantly hampered visibility.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) highlighted the grim situation. Areas like Dhaula Kuan recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 252, falling into the ‘poor’ category. In contrast, Akshardham and Anand Vihar both hit 410, firmly in the ‘severe’ zone, while ITO logged 379, classified as ‘very poor’.

The city’s overall 24-hour average AQI reached 332 by 4pm on Friday, a marked rise from 234 the previous day. Earlier that morning at 11am, it stood at 320, compared to 218 at the same time on Thursday. As the day progressed, conditions worsened, pushing several monitoring stations into the severe category by afternoon.

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By 2pm, Jahangirpuri reported an AQI of 403 and Anand Vihar 405. The decline continued into the evening, with Bawana topping the list at 423 by 6pm, followed closely by Vivek Vihar at 418, Jahangirpuri at 414, Narela at 413, Anand Vihar at 406, Rohini at 405, DTU at 404, and Nehru Nagar at 403.

Meteorologists linked the surge in pollutants to stagnant winds associated with an incoming western disturbance. The India Meteorological Department noted that wind speeds were minimal during the early hours, only picking up briefly to around 10kmph from the southwest later.

Experts cautioned that successive western disturbances may sustain high pollution in the days ahead. The department has issued a yellow alert for moderate to dense fog, with minimum temperatures forecasted at 6-8 degrees Celsius on Saturday and dipping to 5-7 degrees on Sunday.