Delhi’s air quality stays ‘very poor’ for 4th straight day

For the fourth consecutive day on Thursday, the Capital’s air quality remained in the “very poor” category. Thus, offering little respite to residents choking under thick smog.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) 4 pm bulletin, Delhi’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 305, a dip of 48 points from a day ago at 353, which was the worst level recorded this season so far, after readings of 351 on Tuesday and 345 on Monday.

A dull haze enveloped the city through the day, as surface winds failed to pick up beyond 7 kmph. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned that the poor dispersion of pollutants is expected to persist in the coming days.

The wind direction has shifted from easterly to westerly, but speeds remain low. Night time winds are almost calm and during the day they reach only 5-7 kmph.

Wind speeds briefly increased on Tuesday, helping clear the emissions from Diwali firecrackers. However, they began to drop again from Tuesday night as temperatures fell.

Forecasts from the Centre’s Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) indicate that Delhi’s AQI will likely remain in the “very poor” category till Saturday, after which it may fluctuate between “poor” and “very poor” for the next five days.

The CPCB data showed that out of 39 active monitoring stations, three recorded “severe” pollution levels at 4 pm on Wednesday, while 33 remained in the “very poor” category.