On Thursday, a thick haze enveloped Delhi, sharply reducing visibility as the air pollution situation deteriorated. Official reports indicated the city’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was in the ‘very poor’ category with a reading of 373, climbing from 334 just the day before.
Of the 40 air quality monitoring stations around Delhi, 15 registered ‘severe’ air quality levels. The highest reading, 441, was recorded in Anand Vihar, falling into the ‘severe-plus’ category. Meanwhile, 24 stations noted ‘very poor’ air quality, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s SAMEER app.
Transport emerged as the main contributor to Delhi’s pollution, responsible for 18.3% of the total. Other significant factors included industries at 9.2%, residential sources at 4.5%, and construction activities at 2.5%. Neighbouring districts such as Jhajjar and Sonipat also added substantially to the pollution, and conditions are expected to worsen over the weekend.
(With inputs from agencies.)