Delhi's air remains 'very poor' for 15th day despite slight improvement

Delhi’s air quality continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category for the 15th consecutive day on Saturday, with the city’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) at 338 at 8 am, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

The reading marks a minor improvement from Friday’s AQI of 385, yet pollution levels remain stubbornly high across the capital through November. On Friday, Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 369.

Majority of stations report high pollution

Real-time CPCB data showed most monitoring stations still placed firmly in the ‘very poor’ bracket, including Anand Vihar (354), Ashok Vihar (347), Bawana (364), Burari (347), Chandni Chowk (351), Dwarka Sector 8 (368), ITO (343), Patparganj (341), Rohini (364), Punjabi Bagh (355) and Vivek Vihar (358).

Some pockets recorded slightly better air in the ‘poor’ category, such as IGI Airport (295), Dilshad Garden (272), Mandir Marg (251) and NSIT Dwarka (252), offering only marginal relief.

Neighbouring NCR cities continued to fare poorly too: Noida registered an AQI of 344, Ghaziabad 333, Gurugram 293 and Faridabad 207.

Mumbai struggles with ‘poor’ November air

Meanwhile, Mumbai recorded subpar air quality on around 80 per cent of days in November, with 21 days falling under the ‘moderate’ AQI category.

The city’s average AQI peaked at 157 on November 7, while November 26 saw the month’s worst reading at 198, driven mainly by ozone pollution. Ozone and nitrogen dioxide each emerged as the dominant pollutants on 12 days, indicating continued emissions from vehicles and industries. In comparison, October registered 13 ‘moderate’ AQI days despite Diwali.

Schools fully offline again

Following the partial easing of curbs, schools in Delhi have returned to full offline classes. The Directorate of Education withdrew earlier hybrid learning instructions issued for primary classes during peak pollution days.

Unfavourable weather conditions persist

Air-quality agencies expect no major improvement in the coming week because meteorological conditions remain unfavourable for dispersing pollutants. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast foggy conditions on Saturday, with a maximum temperature around 26 degrees Celsius and a minimum near 11 degrees Celsius.