Delhi pollution update: Air quality inches closer to 'severe plus', relief unlikely in coming days

Delhi pollution latest update: Residents of Delhi-NCR on Friday morning woke up to a thick layer of toxic smog. Delhi's overall air quality index (AQI) stood at 437 at 7 am on Friday, down from 419 at 4pm on Thursday. The national capital's 24-hour average AQI was 401 on Wednesday, 397 on Tuesday, 358 on Monday, 218 on Sunday, 220 on Saturday and 279 on Friday. 

The comparatively better air quality can be attributed to rain, however, pollution levels peaked in the following days given the firecracker bursting on Diwali and a resurgence in stubble burning in neighbouring states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana. An AQI of 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor, 401-500 severe and above 450 severe plus. 

Meanwhile, any relief from the surging pollution levels is unlikely as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted in its forecast that there is no probability of rain till November 23. The Met Department predicted a mainly clear sky for November 18 accompanied by shallow to moderate fog in the morning in Delhi.

For November 19 and 20, clear skies with shallow to moderate fog in the morning have been predicted. Mainly clear skies accompanied by shallow to moderate fog in the morning are also likely to occur in the national capital from November 21-23. The minimum temperature is expected to teeter around 12.3 degrees Celsius from November 17-21 whereas the maximum temperature may hover around 27.8 degrees Celsius during the same period. 

Moreover, Delhi was the most polluted city in the world on Thursday, followed by Baghdad and Lahore, as per Swiss air quality monitoring company IQAir. Given the worsening air quality, an official of the Centre's pollution panel Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) told news agency PTI that measures including a ban on construction work and entry of trucks in the national capital will likely continue to be in place till further notice. 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Thursday set up a six-member task force to ensure implementation of GRAP measures in the national capital. 

Also Read: What is artificial rain? Here's how cloud seeding fared in UAE, China, Russia