The national capital’s air quality continued to deteriorate for the fourth consecutive day on Sunday, with the city’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) inching closer to the ‘severe’ category. The day’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 370 — within the upper range of the ‘very poor’ category — marking the second worst reading of the season after October 30, when it was recorded at 373.

AQI inches close to ‘severe’ category

Delhi woke up to yet another morning blanketed in toxic smog. The AQI at 8 am on Sunday was 391, perilously close to the ‘severe’ range that begins at 401. The situation remained grim through the late morning hours, with the index at 389 by 11 am. However, winds picked up speed in the afternoon, offering temporary relief and bringing the day’s average down to 370 by 4 pm.

Experts said the afternoon’s wind movement was a key factor in slightly improving air quality. “The wind speed reached 14–15 kmph in the afternoon. While yesterday the wind was northwesterly, coming from Punjab and Haryana, today it changed to westerly and south-westerly. Thus, the farm fire impact was less,” said Mahesh Palawat, Vice President of Meteorology and Climate Change at Skymet.

Farm fire contribution remains low

The Decision Support System (DSS) under the Centre’s Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) reported that the share of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana contributed only 5.3% to Delhi’s PM2.5 levels on Sunday — a decline from 8% the previous day. This remains far below the 40% peaks observed in previous years.

The DSS did not issue any forecast on the impact of stubble burning for Monday but projected that air quality would remain within the ‘very poor’ category from November 10 to 12. The early warning system also suggested that Delhi is likely to remain in this range for at least six more days.

No GRAP-III measures for now, says CAQM

Amid public concern over worsening air pollution, the CAQM held a review meeting on Sunday to assess whether stricter measures under Stage-III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) were necessary. Following the review, the commission decided not to invoke GRAP-III restrictions, which include halting construction activities and imposing curbs on non-essential vehicular movement.

In its statement, CAQM noted: “Given that Delhi’s daily average AQI has shown a consistent declining trend, improving to 370 at 4 pm and further to 365 at 5 pm, and with weather forecasts indicating that the air will remain in the ‘very poor’ category in the coming days, invocation of Stage-III of GRAP is not required at the moment.”

Political exchanges over pollution control

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the city government is taking several measures to curb air pollution, including deploying water sprinklers, enforcing stricter norms for industries, and enhancing real-time monitoring. He criticised the previous AAP government for what he described as a “decade of inaction.”

“The pollution caused by inaction over 10 years cannot be fixed in seven months. The AAP government spent money on advertisements instead of tackling pollution. We are working sincerely to make the situation better,” Sirsa said.

Weather conditions remain cool

Adding to the smog, Delhi also witnessed a dip in temperature. The minimum temperature was recorded at 11.6°C — three degrees below normal and marginally higher than Saturday’s season low of 11°C. The maximum temperature stood at 28.1°C, a degree above normal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast shallow fog on Monday morning, with similar temperature conditions expected to continue.

Outlook

While winds helped marginally disperse pollutants on Sunday, the overall air quality is expected to remain in the ‘very poor’ range through the coming week. Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, with an emphasis on enforcing pollution control norms and mitigating emission sources to prevent the AQI from slipping into the ‘severe’ category.