Spike in pollution levels in Delhi; relief unlikely anytime soon

New Delhi, November 14

Air pollution worsened in Delhi amid unfavourable meteorological conditions on Tuesday morning and a relief is unlikely soon.

Based on data provided by nine out of the 40 monitoring stations in Delhi, the capital’s air quality index stood at 363 — very poor category– at 8 am.

Rest of the monitoring stations failed to generate enough data for indexing, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s mobile application Sameer.

Squandering the relief due to rain, Delhi recorded a jump in pollution levels and a smoky haze returned on Monday after people flouted the ban on firecrackers on Diwali night.

According to IQAir, a Swiss company that specialises in air quality monitoring, Delhi was the most polluted city in the world on Monday, followed by Lahore and Karachi in Pakistan. Mumbai and Kolkata ranked fifth and sixth among the most polluted cities in the world.

Delhi recorded its best air quality on Diwali day in eight years on Sunday, with its 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 218 at 4 pm. However, bursting of firecrackers till late Sunday night led to a spike in pollution levels amid low temperatures.

The AQI stood at 275 at 7 am on Monday and gradually rose to 358 by 4 pm.