Delhi’s air quality plunged to “hazardous” levels on Friday morning, with the city recording an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 727, according to data from Swiss monitor IQ Air. The national capital has been struggling with worsening air conditions since Diwali, as a combination of post-festival pollution, farm fires in neighbouring states, and low wind activity continues to trap pollutants over the city.
Air quality near Chandni Chowk remained in the “very poor” category with the AQI touching 350, while at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport it hovered in the ‘poor’ zone at 290.
Visuals around Anand Vihar this morning, showed a layer of smog lingering in the air. AQI around this area was recorded at 329, categorised as “very poor”.
On Thursday, Delhi had ranked fourth among the most polluted cities in India, recording an AQI of 264. Rohtak topped the list with a “very poor” air quality of 348, based on CPCB data from 254 cities. The Decision Support System (DSS) for air quality forecasting said stubble burning contributed 21.5 per cent to Delhi’s PM2.5 levels on Thursday. This share is projected to rise sharply to 36.9 per cent today and remain high at 32.4 per cent on Saturday, a steep jump from just 1.2 per cent two days earlier.
Satellite data detected 94 stubble-burning incidents in Punjab, 13 in Haryana, and 74 in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.
Protests against poor air quality in Delhi
Meanwhile, student and activist groups on Thursday staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar here against what they called the central and Delhi governments’ failure to address the worsening climate crisis and choking air pollution in the national capital, PTI reported.
Over 80 protesters holding posters and banners participated in the demonstration organised by Scientists for Society and the Campaign for Right to Public Health.
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