5 days and counting: the longest ‘severe air’ streak in 3 years | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Delhi experienced its fifth consecutive ‘tough’ day on Wednesday, making it the longest streak of very tough days dangerous air quality in the capital in three years. Although visibility was significantly better and it was sunny for most of the day, the Air Quality Index (AQI) improved from the severe plus level (460) the day before, but remained in the severe zone at 419.
An extended period of severe days (including severe-plus) was last seen in December 2021, when the AQI was above 400 for six consecutive days.
Air quality is forecast to remain ‘severe’ on Thursday but may improve to ‘very poor’ on Friday and Saturday, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the forecasting body under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences.
However, with the fog finally clearing over the region, there is hope that air quality will improve more quickly. Signs of improvement were seen on Wednesday evening as the city’s average AQI fell to 400 (in a ‘very poor’ range) by 10pm.

So far, Delhi has witnessed seven tough days. Of these, the city has reported consecutive days of severe days since Nov. 16, including two “severe plus” days on Nov. 18 and 19. With an AQI of 494, November 18 was the second most polluted day ever. In contrast, November last year had nine tough days, but the longest consecutive streak was four days. In December 2023 there were three consecutive rough days. In 2022, November and December recorded a total of three and two severe days.
“Dry westerly and northwesterly winds are blowing in the region. These winds have thinned the fog layer in northwest India, raising the maximum temperature. The sun’s rays were able to break through the sky, reducing the smog. conditions and hence there was a slight improvement in air quality,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet Meteorology. The Central Pollution Control Board data showed that the AQI showed a slight improvement during the day. It was 426 at 9am and reached 419 at 4pm, but hit 405 at 8pm.
According to the Decision Support System, Delhi’s share of stubble burning in PM2.5 stood at 19.82% on Monday. The lowest visibility of 600 meters was recorded at Palam at 8.30 am, which improved to 700 meters at 9.00 am. It improved further to 1,200 meters at 12:30. On Wednesday, the maximum temperature rose to 26.8 degrees Celsius, one degree lower than normal. The minimum temperature fell to 11.2 degrees Celsius, one degree lower than normal, making it the lowest of the season so far.