‘Very bad’ air chokes Delhi for third day in a row | Latest Delhi News

India Meteorological Department (IMD) experts warn that this stillness in the air will continue to hamper the spread of pollutants in the coming days, especially as winter tightens its grip, allowing particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) to accumulate in dangerous concentrations.

“Even now, climatic conditions are not changing significantly,” said a senior Interior Ministry official.

“The wind speed decreases at night, and during the day the gusts remain small, 5-7 km/h, with directional fluctuations. As temperatures fall further, the likelihood of severe spikes in AQI increases,” they said, noting that forecasts suggest this pattern could persist until November 8.

However, there seems to be something good in the clouds of haze.

Historically, data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) shows that by early November, Delhi’s AQI has typically already risen to “severe” levels at least once since 2015.

However, a period of post-Diwali winds and unusually high October temperatures are keeping the city from crossing that threshold—yet.

The CPCB classifies an AQI of 0 to 50 as “good”, 51 to 100 as “satisfactory”, 101 to 200 as “moderate”, 201 to 300 as “poor”, 301 to 400 as “very poor” and more 400 cases were considered “severe” – the finale is considered a watershed with serious health consequences, especially for vulnerable groups.

As wind speeds remained minimal for most of Monday night and early Tuesday, the first official case of fog of the season was reported on Tuesday morning, with visibility dropping to 800 meters at Safdarjung between 7 and 7:30 am.

Visibility between 500 and 1000 m is classified as “shallow” fog. Metro officials said the fog is sticking around a bit this year, with the first shallow fog typically occurring in the last week of October.

IMD data showed that last year the first fog of the winter season was recorded on October 31, while in 2022 it occurred on October 12.

“The formation of fog depends on meteorological conditions. For fog to form, there must be sufficient humidity and calm winds. We usually see the first fog of the season in the last week of October,” said R.K. Jenamani, a scientist at IMD.

Monitors in the capital show alarming stability in pollution indicators. By 4 pm on Tuesday, at least 10 of the 40 ambient air quality stations recorded “severe” readings, including Anand Vihar and Wazirpur, both above 425. Anand Vihar, Wazirpur, Jahangirpuri and Ashok Vihar now recorded severe AQI levels for three days contract.

The Centre’s Early Warning System for Delhi (EWS) forecasts that conditions will remain unfavorable for settlement but no significant change in AQI is expected. “Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category from November 6 to 8,” the EWS said in an advisory on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Centre’s Decision Support System (DSS) data showed that stubble burning’s contribution to Delhi’s air was 23.3% on Monday, up from 19.7% a day earlier.

Seasonal stubble burning, which intensifies every autumn, also continues to increase airborne pollutants, accounting for 23.3% of PM2.5 emissions in Delhi on Monday, up from 19.7, according to the Centre’s decision support system. % on Sunday.

Experts say that while the current weather conditions have temporarily delayed severe levels of pollution, the relief is minor.

“Despite Diwali on October 31, strong winds and above-normal temperatures helped Delhi disperse pollutants within hours. This year, overall temperatures were higher throughout October, not just at the end of the month. However, it must be understood that the AQI was still at the ‘very poor’ level even in October, meaning our background emissions are high and it would only take a further decline in temperatures to possibly reach serious levels,” she said Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, Research. and propaganda.

Both the maximum and minimum temperatures were above normal on Tuesday. The minimum temperature was 17.6C, two notches above normal and a degree above Monday’s low. The high was 32.6C, also two degrees above normal and 0.5C above Monday’s high. The forecast for Wednesday shows light fog likely in the early hours with maximum and minimum temperatures hovering around 33°C and 17°C respectively.