Farm fires raging, Delhi’s AQI very poor again

Meanwhile, while Uttar Pradesh witnessed 200 instances of stubble burning, the figure was 35 in Haryana, 83 in Rajasthan, 354 in Madhya Pradesh and none in Delhi.

Among 254 cities monitored, Delhi ranked fourth on the list of most polluted cities on Thursday, while Rohtak topped the chart in the ‘Very Poor’ category with an AQI of 348, according to the CPCB.

Stubble burning is predicted to emerge as the highest contributor to Delhi’s PM2.5 concentration, with AQI likely to deteriorate to the ‘Very Poor’ category from Thursday, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System.

Data from the Decision Support System showed that contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s PM2.5 is estimated to be 21.5% on Thursday, which is predicted to increase to 36.9% on Friday, and 32.4% on Saturday — a sharp increase from just 1.2% on Wednesday.

Satellite data detected 94 stubble burning incidents in Punjab, 13 in Haryana and 74 in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

According to the Air Quality Early Warning System, wind speed was expected to decrease to below 10 kmph from the northwest direction during the evening and night hours on Wednesday. Consequently, the AQI is likely to remain in the ‘Very Poor’ category between November 6 and 8, the forecast stated. After stubble burning, the transport sector is expected to be the second-highest contributor, accounting for 16.2% of the pollutants on Thursday, 11.2% on Friday and 12.3% on Saturday.

Delhi’s air has remained in the ‘Poor’ category for the past two days — November 4 and 5 — recording AQI below 300. Before that, the city had been in the ‘Very Poor’ category, with readings above 300.

Delhi, meanwhile, experienced its coldest night of the pre-winter season on Thursday, with temperatures dropping to 12.7 degrees Celsius – the first instance this season when the minimum temperature has fallen below 15 degrees Celsius .

According to the India Meteorological Department, Delhi’s night temperature was three degrees below the seasonal average, marking a sharp fall from 18.4°C recorded the previous day. The maximum temperature was recorded at 27.4°C, around 3.1 degrees Celsius below normal.

Officials attributed this sudden chill to cold northwesterly winds blowing into Delhi following fresh snowfall in the western Himalayas, combined with clear night skies that enhanced radiational cooling.