Delhi’s air quality worsened again on Saturday, with the overall AQI rising to 387 and edging close to the ‘severe’ category after a brief mid-week improvement. The deterioration was reflected across the city, with 18 areas recording AQI levels above 400, led by Wazirpur, Jahangirpuri and Vivek Vihar as the most polluted hotspots.
Delhi’s air quality continued its downward slide on Saturday, edging close to the ‘severe’ category as the city’s overall AQI climbed to 387, reversing the brief improvement witnessed earlier this week.
Thick smog and shallow fog shrouded several parts of the city in the early morning hours, reducing visibility and triggering low-visibility procedures at Indira Gandhi International Airport, though all flights were operating normally.
Pollution hotspots bore the brunt, with 18 areas recording AQI levels above 400, signalling a return to hazardous conditions for residents.
After enduring ‘very poor’ air for nine consecutive days, the capital saw a marginal breather on Tuesday when the average AQI dropped to 282, slipping into the ‘poor’ category. Conditions improved slightly further on Wednesday with an AQI of 259, before deteriorating again to 307 on Thursday and worsening sharply to 349 on Friday, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) Sameer app.
POLLUTION BACK ON BRINK OF ‘SEVERE’
The pollution levels rose further on Saturday, pushing the city back to the brink of ‘severe’ air quality.
The impact was most visible in several pollution hotspots, with 18 areas recording AQI levels above 400.
Wazirpur emerged as the most polluted locality with an AQI of 443, followed by Jahangirpuri (439), Vivek Vihar (437), Rohini and Anand Vihar (434 each), Ashok Vihar (431), and Sonia Vihar and DTU (427 each).
Other areas in the ‘severe’ bracket included Narela (425), Bawana (424), Nehru Nagar (421), Patparganj (419), ITO (417), Punjabi Bagh (416), Mundka (415), Burari Crossing (413), Chandni Chowk (412) and the North Campus of Delhi University (401).
NCR MIRRORS DELHI’S POLLUTION CRISIS
The grim situation extended across the National Capital Region (NCR) as well.
Ghaziabad and Noida recorded AQI levels of 422 each, firmly in the ‘severe’ category. Gurugram reported an AQI of 295, while Faridabad stood at 208, both falling in the ‘poor’ range.
SMOG AND FOG SLASH VISIBILITY
The thick layer of smog mixed with shallow fog significantly reduced visibility in the city, affecting commuting conditions and raising health concerns, especially for children, the elderly, and those with respiratory illnesses.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), New Delhi’s visibility was around 500 metres. While there is no alert for dense fog or low visibility in Delhi and NCR, an orange alert for very dense fog was issued for eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Some areas of Punjab, including Amritsar, reported the lowest visibility, dropping to almost zero in spots.
DENSE FOG LIKELY IN COMING DAYS
Weather officials warned that dense fog is likely to persist over the next two days across several parts of north India, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi-NCR, with visibility in parts of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh expected to fall below 50 metres. The low wind speed from the eastern direction has intensified the fog’s effect, trapping pollutants near the ground.
UNFAVOURABLE WEATHER TRAPS POLLUTANTS
Experts attributed the sharp deterioration to unfavourable meteorological conditions, including low wind speeds, high moisture levels and falling temperatures, which prevented the dispersion of pollutants. According to them, the north-western movement of low wind speed combined with cooler conditions has led to a dip in air quality across several cities.
However, Delhi’s winter chill has remained largely absent this December. The minimum temperature hovered around 11°C on Saturday morning, while the maximum was expected to stay near 22°C.
Meteorological data show that both day and night temperatures have remained above normal for early December, delaying the onset of typical winter conditions.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed this to the lack of active western disturbances, which usually bring cold, dry winds to north India. IMD experts noted that the intensity and timing of winter in the region depend heavily on these systems, whose absence has contributed to stagnant air and worsening pollution.
CAQM STEPS IN TO CURB VEHICULAR POLLUTION
Amid rising concerns, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has constituted an expert committee to curb vehicular pollution in Delhi-NCR, a major contributor to deteriorating air quality.
According to CAQM, emissions from vehicles releasing pollutants such as PM2.5, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) have become one of the biggest sources of air pollution, posing a serious public health challenge.
