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Air quality worsens to ‘poor’ in Delhi, minimum stays below 20°C

Oct 14, 2024 05:02 AM IST

The 24-hour average AQI was at 224 at 4pm in the “poor” category — a bleak 69 points worse from 155 (moderate) on Saturday

The Capital’s air quality deteriorated significantly on Sunday morning, which brought with it the dreadfully familiar haze of dirty air that experts attributed to smoke from Dussehra effigy burning and calm conditions typical of the winter.

Delhi’s minimum temperature remained below 20°C for the second consecutive day and settled at 18.6°C on Sunday, a degree below normal. The minimum dipped below 20°C for the first time this season on Saturday, when it was also 18.6°C. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)
Delhi’s minimum temperature remained below 20°C for the second consecutive day and settled at 18.6°C on Sunday, a degree below normal. The minimum dipped below 20°C for the first time this season on Saturday, when it was also 18.6°C. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

The 24-hour average air quality index was at 224 at 4pm in the “poor” category — a bleak 69 points worse from 155 (moderate) recorded at the same time the day before, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s national bulletin.

This is the first “poor” air day day since the monsoon withdrew, marking the beginning of a transition to winter when meteorological factors, farm fires in Punjab and Haryana, and local emissions create a toxic cocktail that has, at its worst, led to schools closing and stay-at-home advisories being issued.

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The commission for air quality management (CAQM), a high-powered body that monitors and implements curbs during the air pollution crisis, said it had noted a rise in AQI “owing to episodic events” since Saturday night till about noon on Sunday. “However, the pollutant concentrations and thereby the AQI are now exhibiting a declining trend, with AQI improving to 222 at 5PM, and it is further expected to improve with time,” it added in a statement, forecasting “moderate” air pollution on by Monday.

Citing this improvement, the agency said it will monitor the situation for one more day before deciding to invoke stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), which includes, 24 preventive measures like increasing mechanised sweeping, shutting down construction and demolition sites with an area over 500 sqm, increased deployment of traffic police at congestion points, etc.

Another expert said Sunday’s bad air was down to both, meteorology and concentrated burning. “With the onset of the winter, the city and the larger NCR region requires strong preventive measures to be better prepared,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment.

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Delhi’s minimum temperature remained below 20°C for the second consecutive day and settled at 18.6°C on Sunday, a degree below normal. The minimum dipped below 20°C for the first time this season on Saturday, when it was also 18.6°C.

Last year, Delhi’s AQI the day after Dussehra (October 25) was 243 (poor). It was 79 (satisfactory) in 2022 on October 6, the best AQI in Delhi for the day after Dussehra since 2015. The highest post-Dussehra AQI was 353 (very poor) in 2020 (October 26).

But these trends correlate significantly with when the festivities fall. A four-week period starting from the end of October records particularly high levels of pollution since this is when the smoke from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana, where farmers set fire to paddy stubble as a cheap and quick way to clear their fields for the next round of crops, makes its way into the region. This year, Diwali — when thousands have typically celebrated with firecrackers despite a ban— falls within this window.

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Meanwhile, the maximum temperature on Sunday was 35.1°C, which was two degrees above normal. It was 33.6°C a day earlier. The India Meteorological Department’s forecasts show that days are expected to remain warm and the maximum will likely hover around 35°C on Monday and the minimum will likely settle at 19°C.

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