Delhi’s air quality deteriorated further on Thursday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) climbing to 323 in the morning and remaining in the ‘very poor’ category, as calm winds and unfavourable meteorological conditions trapped pollutants close to the ground overnight.
The Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) hourly data recorded an AQI of 321 at 7am, which rose to 323 an hour later. This was eight points higher than Wednesday’s official daily average of 313. Delhi recorded a rise in minimum temperatures across all five weather stations on Thursday, with the mercury settling between 16°C and 17°C, significantly above the seasonal average, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data. Palam recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 16°C, which was 1.8°C above normal. At Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, the minimum temperature settled at 16.5°C, 3°C above normal. Lodhi Road recorded a minimum of 16.6°C, 4.6°C above normal, the highest departure among the five stations.
Shallow fog affected visibility at Safdarjung and Palam during the morning hours. No rainfall was recorded at any of the five weather stations. Unfavourable meteorological conditions have played a significant role in the deterioration of air quality. Calm winds overnight prevented pollutants from dispersing, while a layer of warmer air above the ground restricted vertical mixing, trapping pollution closer to the surface. Stubble burning in neighbouring states remains another seasonal contributor to Delhi-NCR’s pollution. However, the extent of its contribution depends on wind direction and speed, as well as the prevailing weather conditions.
At Safdarjung, visibility dropped to 800 metres between 6.30am and 8am before improving to 900 metres at 8.30am. At Palam, visibility stood at 800 metres between 7.30am and 8am, improving to 1,000 metres by 8.30am. Earlier reporting noted: Of the 58 air quality monitoring stations that recorded data on Tuesday, 30 reported very poor air quality. The Chhawla monitoring station recorded the worst AQI at 400, followed by Chandni Chowk at 391 and Delhi Technological University at 388. Earlier reporting noted: Warm weather and easterly winds aided the dispersion of pollutants after Diwali, before conditions stabilised over the past 24 hours. Southwesterly winds prevailed over Delhi during this period, reaching speeds of 10-15 kmph, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin.
Earlier reporting noted: Delhi weather Delhi weather
