Delhi AQI improves marginally to 413; haze persists, health concerns rise

Pollution levels in the national capital and its surrounding areas dipped marginally overnight due to a relatively better wind speed. Delhi's air quality index (AQI) marginally improved from 468 at 4 p.m. on Friday to 413 at 6 a.m. on Saturday.

However, the concentration of poisonous PM2.5 was still more than 80 times the healthy limit prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Friday's 24-hour average AQI (468) was the worst since the previous high of 471 recorded on November 12, 2021.

A thick toxic haze lingers over the city for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday, with doctors expressing concerns that air pollution is causing an increase in respiratory and eye problems among children and the elderly.

The concentration of PM2.5, fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems, exceeded the government-prescribed safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times at multiple locations throughout Delhi-NCR.

It was 80 to 100 times the healthy limit (5 micrograms per cubic metre) set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The air quality in Delhi-NCR declined over the past week due to a gradual drop in temperatures, calm winds that trap pollution, and a surge in post-harvest paddy straw burning across Punjab and Haryana.

According to the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi's AQI increased by more than 200 points between October 27 and November 3, culminating in a descent into the "severe plus" category (above 450) on Friday.