Notably, the national capital faced surge in pollutant levels on Thursday as well, with AQI crossing the 300 mark after a severe dust storm, which also affected the visibility.
Delhi woke up to bad-quality air on Friday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) crossing the 300 mark in several areas, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Notably, the national capital faced a surge in pollutant levels on Thursday as well, with AQI crossing the 300 mark after a severe dust storm, which also affected visibility.
As of 7:05 am, several parts of the city reported a surge in AQI levels, with Ashok Vihar at 322, Mundka at 406, Narela at 305, Patparganj at 315, Rohini at 331, and Wazirpur topping the chart at 410, according to data from the Sameer App.
AQI levels span from Good (0–50), posing minimal health risks, to Severe (401–500), which can lead to serious health issues for both healthy individuals and those with pre-existing conditions. Levels between 201-300 fall under the ‘Poor’ category, causing discomfort and respiratory problems with prolonged exposure.
The latest visuals from India Gate showed significantly reduced visibility, with the AQI recorded at a poor level of 249, according to the CPCB.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed the sudden environmental shift to strong, dust-laden winds that swept through the Palam area near IGI Airport between 10:00 PM and 11:30 PM on May 14.
These winds drastically reduced visibility from 4,500 meters to 1,200 meters, with speeds reaching 30–40 km/h, rapidly spreading dust across the region.
“Cities in the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) face dangerously high PM10 levels due to dust storms, dry conditions, and strong winds lifting dust from roads, construction sites, and waste dumping zones during the summer months. The situation worsens when winds blow from the west or southwest during the summer months,” said Sunil Dahiya, Founder and Lead Analyst, Envirocatalysts.
“Also, the recent spike in PM2.5 and PM10 levels points to a growing combustion-related pollution problem over Delhi. This could stem from waste burning at landfills, crop residue fires upwind, or even forest fires, adding to the city’s perennial pollution burden,” he added.
Delhi’s AQI was in the ‘poor’ category at 4 pm on Thursday with a reading of 292. It was first time in close to two weeks that the air quality dipped to this zone. The city had been breathing ‘moderate’ quality air since April 29.
The India Meteorological Department said a high north-south pressure gradient over northwest India caused strong dust-raising surface winds gusting up to 30-40 kmph that sped through Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and north Rajasthan May 14 night to next morning.
The Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi reported the lowest visibility of 1,200 metres intermittently during this period. Moreover, there was no forecast for such a prolonged and impactful dust storm in the Delhi-NCR region.
