Delhi found itself enveloped in a dense smog once again on Tuesday, the day after Diwali celebrations. The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the ‘very poor’ bracket, indicating a continued struggle with air pollution. The national capital registered an AQI of 351, a slight increase from the 345 recorded on Diwali itself, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily bulletin.
Despite the city’s efforts to celebrate the festival of lights with greener fireworks this year, a combination of unfavorable meteorological conditions and the persistent issue of stubble burning in neighboring states has significantly worsened the air quality in Delhi.
Alarmingly, out of the 38 air quality monitoring stations across the city, a staggering 35 reported readings in the ‘red zone,’ signifying ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ air quality levels. This widespread deterioration highlights the severity of the pollution crisis.
Key Neighboring Areas Hit by Severe Air Quality
While Delhi’s own air quality has been deteriorating over the past week and is expected to worsen further due to ongoing stubble burning, the situation is even more critical in some of its neighboring regions. Two of Delhi’s nearby cities have recorded AQI levels in the ‘severe’ category. These are Dharuhera in Haryana, located approximately 90 km from Delhi, and Jind, about 136 km away. In contrast, cities like Faridabad, Noida, and Ghaziabad are experiencing ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ air quality.
This development comes shortly after data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which monitors air quality across 264 cities, showed no cities in the ‘severe’ category the previous day. The current situation underscores the urgent need for comprehensive air pollution control measures across the entire National Capital Region.
