Delhi's Air Quality Deteriorates, Threatens to Become Very Poor on Diwali

The minimum temperature in Delhi continued to drop on Thursday, with the city recording its worst air quality index of the season. The air quality index (AQI) in Delhi stood at 245, a significant increase from the previous day's 233. In the neighboring Ghaziabad, the AQI has already turned very poor, and Delhi is expected to follow soon, with the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi's PM2.5 forecast to rise to 6.4% on Saturday.

Key Takeaways:

• Delhi's air quality index (AQI) recorded its worst of the season at 245, a significant increase from the previous day's 233.
• The top contributor to Delhi's PM2.5 was 18.7% from the city's transport sector, followed by Sonipat (6.5%) and Gurgaon (4.6%).
• Five out of 39 ambient air quality monitoring stations in Delhi were in the very poor category, with Anand Vihar the worst at 360, followed by Wazirpur at 352.
• Delhi's minimum temperature recorded its lowest this season at 18.1°C, and is forecast to touch 17°C on Friday.
• The air quality is likely to remain poor till Sunday and turn very poor on October 20, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi.
• Forecasts show the share of stubble burning in Delhi's overall PM2.5 is set to rise in the coming days.

Statistics:

• Delhi's air quality index (AQI): 245 (worst of the season)
• Contribution of stubble burning to Delhi's PM2.5: 0.76% on Thursday, forecast to rise to 3.9% on Friday and 6.4% on Saturday
• Minimum temperature in Delhi: 18.1°C (lowest this season)
• Number of ambient air quality monitoring stations in Delhi: 39
• Number of stations in the very poor category: 5
• AQI in neighboring Ghaziabad: Very poor

Sources:

• Indian Meteorological Department
• Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi
• Central government's Decision Support System (DSS)
• Skymet (Meteorological Services)
• Times of India (MET REALTIME)