Delhi Air Quality Shows Marginal Improvement As AQI Drops To ‘Poor’ Category

The national capital experienced a slight improvement in air quality on Friday, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) falling into the ‘poor’ category at 292, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Earlier this week, Delhi had recorded ‘severe’ air quality, with the AQI peaking at 412 on December 23. Over the past two days, pollution levels have steadily declined across several parts of the city.

CPCB’s Sameer mobile application reported that three monitoring stations, Lodhi Road-IITM (160), Lodhi Road-IMD (194), and Najafgarh (188), recorded ‘moderate’ air quality.

Other areas, including Aya Nagar (212), CRRI Mathura Road (265), Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range (290), Dwarka Sector 8 (282), IGI Airport Terminal 3 (238), and IIT Delhi (231), fell under the ‘poor’ category.

However, Anand Vihar (377), Bawana (363), Jahangirpuri (372), and Vivek Vihar (361) continued to register ‘very poor’ air quality, highlighting ongoing pollution concerns.

Mixed Air Quality Trends Across NCR

In the surrounding National Capital Region (NCR), air quality varied. Haryana’s Bahadurgarh recorded ‘very poor’ AQI at 301, while Gurugram averaged 270 (‘poor’), with Sector 51 reaching 375 (‘very poor’).

Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad posted an overall AQI of 344, Greater Noida 362, and Knowledge Park-V 386, with all stations in the ‘very poor’ category.

Authorities have partly credited the improvement to the enforcement of Bharat Stage (BS) 6 vehicle norms, which have barred over 1.2 million older, higher-emitting vehicles from entering Delhi.

Vehicular emissions contribute up to 40 per cent of particulate pollution in the NCR, particularly in winter when cold weather traps smog near the ground.

Following the recent improvement, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) lifted Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage-IV restrictions across Delhi-NCR on December 24.

Officials indicated that if the trend continues, further relaxations in pollution control measures could be implemented in the coming days.

Despite the marginal improvement, experts warn that authorities must take sustained measures to maintain healthier air and reduce residents’ exposure to harmful pollutants in the densely populated capital.