Severe air pollution grips Delhi with AQI at 373, second worst worldwide
The air quality index (AQI) of 373 in R.K. Puram, Delhi, showed high pollution levels at 14:35 LT (09:05 UTC) on Saturday, November 16, 2024. The levels of PM2.5 and PM10 were 318 and 258, indicating serious health risks and placing Delhi as the second most polluted city in the world, following Lahore, Pakistan.
Image credit: EUMETSAT, Zoom Earth, The Watchers. Acquired at 09:00 UTC on November 16, 2024.
Air quality remains a pressing concern with the AQI recording 396 in New Delhi, India on November 15. It has been categorized as “very poor,” with a slight improvement from November 14 when AQI reached 424 which fell in the “severe” category. These measurements provided by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and the Central Pollution Control Board follow the US EPA AQI standard.
The weather in the area, with a temperature of 32 °C (89.6 °F), humidity of 42%, light winds at 1 km/h (0.6 mph), and a pressure of 980 hPa, is causing the pollutants to stay in the air, making the air quality worse.
Flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), have been severely impacted with 88% of departures and 54% of arrivals delayed on November 14. Hospitals are reporting a rise in respiratory illnesses, mainly among children, as the toxic smog causes serious health issues.
In response to the escalating pollution crisis, the government of New Delhi has enforced strict measures under Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). These include banning private BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles and restricting the entry of inter-state buses that are not electric or CNG-powered.
Atishi Marlena, Chief Minister of Delhi, announced new working hours for government offices to help reduce traffic and pollution. Municipal offices will be open from 08:30 to 17:00 LT, central government offices from 09:00 to 17:30 LT, and Delhi government offices from 10:00 AM to 18:30 LT.
To make public transport more accessible, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has added 106 more shuttle bus services, running over 1 800 trips daily. The Delhi Metro has also increased daily trips by 60 to help more commuters.
Non-essential construction activities remain banned and residents have been asked to avoid using coal and wood for heating. Road cleaning machines and dust control measures have been put to reduce air pollution.
Schools for students up to Grade V have been moved to online classes because of health risks, and more restrictions may be added if pollution continues.
Stubble burning after rice harvest in neighboring states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Rajasthan, and Punjab continues to be a major contributor to air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR), accounting for 38% of Delhi’s pollution on November 14, according to data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) predicted that the air quality will remain in the “very poor” category for the next 6 days due to calm winds, high humidity, and a drop in temperature.
Visibility in the capital has dropped to as low as 400 m (1 300 feet) in Safdarjung and 500 m (1 640 feet) in Palam. The smog has not only affected daily life in Delhi but has also made famous sites like the Taj Mahal and the Golden Temple in Amritsar hard to see clearly.
References:
1 Live most polluted major city ranking – IQAir – November 16, 2024
2 Delhi government enforces stricter curbs on vehicles, staggered office timings to battle air pollution – The Hindu – November 16, 2024
3 GRAP-3: Stricter anti-pollution curbs in Delhi today as air quality plummets – The Hindu – November 16, 2024
4 AQI at 396: Delhi staggers govt office timings as air quality moves to ‘very poor’ category – Indian Express – November 16, 2024
Rishika holds a Master’s in International Studies from Stella Maris College, Chennai, India, where she earned a gold medal, and an MCA from the University of Mysore, Karnataka, India. Previously, she served as a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. During her tenure, she contributed as a Junior Writer for Europe Monitor on the Global Politics website and as an Assistant Editor for The World This Week. Her work has also been published in The Hindu newspaper, showing her expertise in global affairs. Rishika is also a recipient of the Women Empowerment Award at the district level in Haryana, India, in 2022.
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