Delhi AQI: After brief relief, air quality worsens to ‘very poor’ at 292; Anand Vihar worst hit at 377

NEW DELHI: After a brief breather earlier this week, Delhi’s air quality deteriorated again on Friday, slipping into the ‘very poor’ category, with transport emissions and pollution drifting in from neighbouring NCR districts continuing to weigh on the capital’s air. The city’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 292 at 8am, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, placing Delhi firmly in the ‘very poor’ bracket and reversing the marginal improvement seen over the past two days. Of the 39 air quality monitoring stations across the city, 22 recorded AQI levels above 300, indicating 'very poor' air. Anand Vihar (377), Jahangirpuri (372), Bawana (363) and Ashok Vihar (333) were among the worst-hit locations, while the remaining stations reported air quality in the 'poor' to 'moderate' range. Under CPCB classification, an AQI between 301 and 400 is considered ‘very poor’, while readings above 401 fall in the ‘severe’ category. Data from the Decision Support System (DSS) for Air Quality Management showed vehicular emissions remained the single largest contributor to Delhi’s pollution load, accounting for 18.5%, followed by industrial emissions from Delhi and surrounding areas (9.5%), construction activity (2.5%) and waste burning (1.6%). Among NCR districts, Jhajjar in Haryana emerged as the biggest external contributor to Delhi’s pollution, accounting for 17.6%, followed by Rohtak (5.9%) and Sonipat (3.1%).The air quality is likely to deteriorate to the very poor category in the coming days, according to the forecast. Meteorological conditions offered limited relief. The predominant northwesterly winds remained weak, with speeds of up to 10 kmph during afternoon hours, restricting dispersion of pollutants, the Air Quality Early Warning System said. On the weather front, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 22.6°C, nearly 2 degrees above normal, while the minimum settled at 6.5°C, slightly below average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Moderate fog is expected during early morning hours.This month has witnessed four poor air days and no satisfactory ones. This Tuesday was the latest severe air day when the index was at 412. Last December had eight poor and satisfactory days each.