Air quality in Delhi slips; likely to deteriorate further to ‘very poor’ category by Sunday

New Delhi: The air quality in Delhi worsened and is likely to deteriorate to the ‘very poor’ category by Sunday due to unfavourable meteorological conditions and stubble or waste burning, the Centre’s System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) said in its latest bulletin.

Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was 285 on Thursday against 230 a day before, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

“The air quality is likely to remain in the poor category till Saturday and reach the very poor category on Sunday. This is because meteorological conditions are highly unfavourable for effective dispersion of pollutants. Additional emissions from stubble/waste burning are likely to deteriorate air quality significantly,” SAFAR said in its Thursday bulletin.

As a preventative measure, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has already implemented a complete ban on the manufacturing, storage, sale, and use of all types of firecrackers in the national capital until January 1. The Commission for Air Quality Management has activated Stage-I of the Graded Response Action Plan, a series of measures to combat air pollution in the National Capital Region.

The Supreme Court hit out at the Punjab and Haryana governments on Wednesday for their failure to take effective action against stubble burning, which contributes to worsening air pollution in Delhi and nearby regions during the winter months.

Stubble burning

As many as 1,212 fire and stubble burning incidents were reported between 15 September and 16 October in Punjab. This compares with 1,388 incidents reported during the same period last year, marking the lowest count in five years.

However, it represents a significant increase from the 300 cases recorded as of 7 October, according to a Thursday bulletin from CREAMS-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, which monitors satellite data on stubble burning.

Stubble burning is the practice of igniting leftover straw and stubble after harvesting crops to prepare the fields for the winter sowing season.

Air quality standards are slotted in six categories—good (0-50), satisfactory (51-100), moderate (101-200), poor (201-300), very poor (301-400) and severe (401-500).