Delhi's AQI remains 'very poor' on coldest day of season so far; mercury dips to 5.6 deg C

New Delhi, Dec 5 (PTI) A thick veil of smog descended over the capital on Friday, with the average AQI settling at 327, in the 'very poor' category, while the city shivered on its coldest December morning so far this year with the mercury dipping to 5.6 degrees Celsius.

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 327, after clocking 323 during the morning hours when 30 monitoring stations across the capital logged 'very poor' air quality. Bawana reported the worst AQI at 373, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

By 6 pm, 31 of the 39 stations assessed had fallen into the 'very poor' range, with R K Puram registering one of the highest AQI readings at 370, the CPCB's Sameer app showed.

According to the CPCB standards, an AQI between 0 and 50 is classified 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor' and 401-500 'severe'.

Meanwhile, according to the Decision Support System (DSS) for Delhi’s air quality management, vehicular emissions remained the highest local contributor at 15.3 per cent. Industries in Delhi and surrounding areas added 7.6 per cent, followed by residential emissions (3.7 per cent), construction dust (2.1 per cent) and waste burning (1.3 per cent).

Among neighbouring NCR districts, Jhajjar contributed 14.3 per cent pollutants, Rohtak 5 per cent, Sonipat 3.8 per cent, Bhiwani 2.5 per cent and Gurugram 1.5 per cent, the DSS analysis showed.

Delhi’s air quality has swung sharply through the week. Delhi recorded an AQI of 279 on Sunday, which dipped to 304 on Monday. Pollution levels shot up to 372 on Tuesday, edging towards the 'severe' threshold, before easing slightly to 342 on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the air quality remained in the 'very poor' bracket at 304.

Speaking about the air quality in the national capital, Mohammad Rafiuddin, Programme Lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) said Delhi’s AQI remained in the 'very poor' category on most days last week.

Citing DSS data, he said with the decline of stubble burning, vehicular, residential, and construction-related emissions formed the major sources of Delhi’s PM2.5.

He noted that Stage II restrictions under the revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is in force and requires authorities to strictly enforce dust control measures at construction sites, restrict entry of vehicles below BS-IV standard, and allow staggered timings for public offices.

The authorities should ensure stringent implementation of the restrictions under GRAP stages I and II to prevent further worsening of air quality.

"They should also ensure strict dust control measures at construction sites. Citizens should also be encouraged to use public transportation and wear masks when stepping out to minimise exposure," he said.

Meanwhile, the capital recorded a maximum temperature of 23.5 degrees Celsius on Friday, while the minimum temperature settled at 5.6 degrees Celsius, 3.9 notches below normal and the lowest of the season so far, according to the India Meteorological Department. Previously the coldest december morning was recorded at 4.5 degrees Celsius on December 12, 2024.

Around 5:30 pm, the humidity level stood at 68 per cent, while it touched 100 per cent during morning hours, the weather office said.

Shallow fog has been forecast for Saturday, with temperatures likely to range between 8 degrees Celsius and 23 degrees Celsius. PTI SGV NSM ARB ARB