Delhi's Air Quality Improves to Moderate After Recent Poor Levels

Delhi’s air quality improved to the “moderate” category with an AQI of 121 on Thursday, down from 235 a day earlier. Strong winds and light rain contributed to the change. The CAQM has indicated that no immediate action will be taken under GRAP, citing forecasts for continued improvement.

Delhi’s air quality has seen a significant improvement, shifting to the “moderate” category with a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 121 recorded at 9 AM on Thursday. This marks a notable decrease from the previous day's AQI of 235, which categorized the air quality as “poor” for the first time in nearly three months.

The improvement in air quality is attributed to strong winds and isolated rainfall across the city, which are expected to continue until Saturday, helping to maintain the AQI in the moderate range. The city recorded an average AQI of 197 on Tuesday.

The “poor” AQI on Wednesday was the first instance in September that levels dipped into this category in six years, the last occurrence being on September 29, 2018, when the AQI reached 219.

According to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), there are no immediate plans to invoke Stage 1 measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) as improvement is anticipated with forecasted rain. The CAQM noted that a combination of rain and strong winds helps settle pollutants, thereby enhancing air quality.

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The commission indicated that the AQI had further improved to 232 by 5 PM on Wednesday, with expectations for continued enhancement. In response to the pollution levels, the Delhi government recently unveiled a 21-point Winter Action Plan aimed at combatting air pollution. This plan includes measures such as deploying drones at pollution hotspots and forming a task force to monitor air quality.