Delhi AQI hits 350, worst since Diwali night, with 10 stations in severe zone and a worse weekend forecast
Punjab recorded 1,152 farm fires on 8 November, but the count fell to 198 the next day and Delhi's air still worsened.
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Delhi AQI rose to 350 on Thursday, the worst reading since Diwali night, as a thick layer of haze covered the capital, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data reported by Jagran. The 24-hour average was up from 313 on Wednesday. Ten monitoring stations reported severe pollution even though farm fires in Punjab have declined, News24 reported.
Delhi AQI on Thursday: where the air was worst
The stations in the severe category, above 400, included ITO, Chandni Chowk, Punjabi Bagh, Burari, JNU, IIT Delhi, NSIT Dwarka and NSUT Jaffarpur, Jagran said. Among the remaining stations, 42 were very poor, four poor and one moderate.
The reading marks a sharp turn after a brief improvement. CPCB data shows the 24-hour average AQI stood at 376 on 8 November, 344 on 9 November, 299 on 10 November and 313 on 11 November. On Diwali night, AQI readings crossed 500 in several areas on private apps that use the US AQI scale, according to Jagran.
Key numbers
- 350: the 24-hour average AQI on Thursday, up from 313 on Wednesday, per Jagran citing CPCB.
- 10: monitoring stations above 400, the severe band, according to News24.
- 1,152 to 198: Punjab farm fire counts on 8 November and 9 November, per ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute data cited by Jagran.
- 515: Punjab farm fires on 11 November, from the same data.
Delhi air quality forecast for the weekend
The early warning system for Delhi expects concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 to increase through the weekend, Jagran said, citing the revised forecast released on Thursday afternoon. Transport will remain the largest contributor, rising from 16 per cent on Thursday to 18.5 per cent on Friday and 20.5 per cent on Saturday.
The farm fire share was revised down from an earlier estimate of 20 per cent to 8.9 per cent on Thursday and 5.3 per cent on Friday, before rising to 13.29 per cent on Saturday.
Stubble burning and other pollution sources
Punjab recorded 1,152 farm fire incidents on 8 November, which dropped to 198 on 9 November, 345 on 10 November and 515 on 11 November, according to the ICAR data. Since 15 September, Punjab has logged 2,324 incidents and Haryana 214, Jagran reported.
Data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology showed that between 1 November and 8 November, 54.43 per cent of Delhi’s PM2.5 came from neighbouring NCR districts, as News24 reported. Local sources were responsible for 33.06 per cent. Between 1 am and 9 am on 9 November, firecrackers caused over 80 per cent of PM2.5 pollution in the capital.
What happens next
The early warning system expects Delhi AQI to worsen through the weekend, so more stations could move into the severe category. The next CPCB readings from the 10 stations above 400 will show whether Thursday’s spike eases.
Delhi's air worsened even as Punjab farm fires fell, which points to transport, local sources and NCR districts as bigger drivers than the farm fire share in recent days. Residents face more severe readings through the weekend, and the gap between official data and private apps keeps the measurement debate alive.