Delhi Wakes Up to Thick Toxic Haze With Air Quality Nearing Severe Level on Diwali

Delhi woke up to a heavy layer of toxic haze on Diwali morning as the city's air quality index reached 383, placing it right at the edge of the severe category.

Monitoring Data

Out of 54 monitoring stations spread across the city, 24 recorded severe air quality while the rest stayed in the very poor category. Data from the Sameer app showed Jahangirpuri recorded the highest AQI at 450, closely followed by RK Puram at 448. The city's reading had shifted from 369 on Saturday to 382 on Friday, but multiple stations had already crossed the 400 mark.

Forecast and Rules

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi stated that air quality is expected to remain in the severe category on November 8 and 9, with pollution levels likely to fluctuate between severe and very poor over the following six days. Green firecrackers were permitted by a Supreme Court order between specific hours, ahead of a complete ban from November 9, while GRAP stage 3 curbs have also kicked in.

Context

The Central Pollution Control Board classifies an AQI between 301 and 400 as very poor and 401 to 500 as severe. Winter pollution in the national capital regularly spikes due to a combination of local emissions, firecrackers, calm winds, and seasonal farm fires in neighbouring states.