Delhi's air quality worsens on Diwali eve as 24 stations slip into red zone

New Delhi: On the eve of Diwali, Delhi's air quality plunged further late at night, with 24 out of 38 monitoring stations recording pollution levels in the "very poor" category, while Anand Vihar entered the 'severe' zone with AQI readings crossing 400.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 296 at 4 pm, placing it in the "poor" category. By 10 pm, the AQI had worsened to 306, entering the "very poor" category and the red zone, according to CPCB data.

The forecast for the coming days indicates a similar trend, with the air quality expected to deteriorate further into the "severe" category on Tuesday and Wednesday, the day after Diwali, as per the department's prediction.

Out of 38 monitoring stations in the national capital, 24 reported "very poor" air quality, while Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 409 at 10 pm, falling in the "severe" category.

Earlier in the evening, 12 stations reported air quality in the "very poor" range, including Wazirpur (364), Vivek Vihar (351), Dwarka (335), and RK Puram (323).

Other areas such as Siri Fort, Dilshad Garden, and Jahangirpuri recorded an AQI of 318, while Punjabi Bagh stood at 313, Nehru Nagar at 310, Ashok Vihar at 305, and Bawana at 304, CPCB data showed.

Transport emissions contributed 15.1 per cent to Delhi's air pollution on Sunday, based on data from the Decision Support System (DSS).

Last Wednesday, the Supreme Court permitted the sale and bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR during Diwali with certain conditions.

The use of green crackers will be confined to specific hours -- 6 am to 7 pm and 8 am to 10 pm -- on the day before Diwali and on the festival day itself, it said.

Meanwhile, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 33.3 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degrees above the season's average, while the minimum temperature settled at 20.6 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Relative humidity was 71 per cent at 8.30 am and rose to 91 per cent by 5.30 pm.

Additionally, the IMD has forecast mist for Monday morning, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 33 degrees Celsius and 21 degrees Celsius, respectively.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 to 100 "satisfactory", 101 to 200 "moderate", 201 to 300 "poor", 301 to 400 "very poor", and 401 to 500 "severe".