Experts termed cloud-seeding as a costly and largely ineffective experiment that distracts from tackling the real sources of pollution

Experts termed cloud-seeding as a costly and largely ineffective experiment that distracts from tackling the real sources of pollution

Forecasts show the Delhi AQI is likely to stay “very poor” on Monday, too, before possibly improving again as wind speed may increase marginally.

Experts attributed the current spike to local factors and said the Pakistan fires have not yet contributed to Delhi’s pollution due to current wind patterns

Experts have warned that smoke from farm fires in Pakistan could soon affect Delhi’s air. A western disturbance is expected between 27 and 29 October, after which winds from the northwest may carry smoke and dust towards the city. Pakistan has already recorded nearly 6,000 farm fires this month — one of the highest counts in recent years — while Punjab in India has seen fewer fires so far.

Sunil Dahiya from EnviroCatalysts said that slow and changing winds have allowed pollution from nearby areas such as Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Sonipat, and Gautam Buddha Nagar to gather over Delhi, causing a slight rise in pollution levels. Meteorologists added that once winds change, the air quality in Delhi could worsen, with hazy skies and high AQI levels expected.

Post-monsoon showers in early October kept city's skies blue and the AQI between “satisfactory” and “moderate” levels, according to CPCB. But not in Anand Vihar

Throughout the day, the real-time air quality continued to improve; it was 290 at 9am, 286 at 11am and 272 at 6pm

From Oct 20 onward, ozone and CO disappeared from the AQI charts, replaced by particulate matter – tiny, hazardous particles that penetrate deep into the lungs.

Despite Delhi's severe "very poor" air quality, experts note the usual spike in pollution from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana has not yet happened. Its contribution has been minimal, peaking at just 2.6%, meaning the current smog is from local sources like vehicles and industry. This delay is attributed to floods disrupting the harvest and unfavourable wind patterns, pushing the expected surge in smoke to after October 28th.

The contribution of stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana has remained negligible this season – below 1% on most days, and peaking at just 2.6%

A reading of 351 qualifies as “very poor” – a category for which NCDC recommends “avoiding physical activity outdoors” and remaining indoors as far as possible

An analysis of CPCB and DPCC data by HT revealed that only nine stations – barely 23% of the city’s monitoring network – recorded continuous data

The deteri­or­a­tion in Delhi’s air qual­ity, which was skirt­ing the “very poor” cat­egory on Sunday, was caused more by external factors than from sources within the cap­ital, accord­ing to the Centre’s Decision Sup­port Sys­tem (DSS). Data on Sunday showed at least 67.89% of Delhi’s total PM2.5 con­tri­bu­tion was from external sources.

The deterioration in Delhi’s air quality, which was skirting the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday, was caused more by external factors than by sources within the capital, according to the Centre’s Decision Support System (DSS).
Data on Sunday showed that at least 67.89% of Delhi’s total PM2.5 contribution was from external sources.
For the sources within Delhi, the transport sector in Delhi accounted for 16.43% of the pollution in the city, followed by Delhi’s residential sector (4.27%) and then the industries sector (3.63%).

The top eight most polluted cities in India were all in NCR, painting a grim picture of what lies ahead in coming weeks as temperature drops in the region.

The court’s reversal comes months after another bench led by Justice Abhay S Oka reaffirmed Delhi’s firecracker ban — extended to NCR states in April.

With nine days until Diwali, there is a problem with the government's plan for eco-friendly fireworks. The plan is struggling because there aren't enough of these 'green' crackers available for sale.