Delhiites breathed the most polluted air in the country on Friday, with the national capital recording the worst air quality among all cities, followed by NCR towns that ranked close behind. The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI), reported at 4 pm every day, stood at 322, placing Delhi in the ‘red zone’ and making it the most polluted city in the country, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The national capital had ranked fifth the previous day, while Ghaziabad occupied the second position on Friday with an AQI of 314. Noida recorded an AQI of 306, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category.
Of the 38 monitoring stations in the capital, 29 reported air quality in the ‘very poor’ category, with readings above 300, according to data from the CPCB’s Sameer app. PM2.5 remained the key pollutant on Friday.
The Decision Support System (DSS) for air quality forecast estimated that stubble burning contributed 8.6 per cent to Delhi’s pollution and predicted that the share would rise to 30.9 per cent on Saturday and 31.2 per cent on Sunday. Satellite data showed that on Thursday, a total of 351 stubble-burning incidents were detected in Punjab, 35 in Haryana, and 200 in Uttar Pradesh. Apart from stubble burning, Delhi’s transport sector is expected to contribute 15 per cent on Saturday and 14 per cent on Sunday to the city’s PM2.5 levels. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category over the next few days.
Since Diwali, the national capital’s air quality has been either ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’, occasionally worsening to ‘severe’. On the weather front, the mercury in the city continues to dip. Delhi recorded its coldest night of the season on Friday, with the mercury settling at 12.7 degrees Celsius, the same as Thursday. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 28.6 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degrees below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The previous lowest this season was 15.8 degrees Celsius, recorded on October 26. In comparison, the city had recorded minimum temperatures of 9.5 degrees Celsius on October 29 last year, 9.2 degrees Celsius on October 23 in 2023, and 7.3 degrees Celsius on October 29 in 2022, indicating a slightly delayed onset of winter this year.
The IMD has forecast fog for Saturday, with maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 27–32 degrees Celsius and 12–14 degrees Celsius.
