Delhi's AQI Soars Over 655 Today; Stubble Burning Emerges As Top Polluter
The Capital had recorded its first ‘Severe’ air quality day of the season on Tuesday, when the AQI touched 428 — the worst since December 19 last year.
Delhi continued to reel under choking smog on Wednesday, as the city’s average air quality index (AQI) stayed in the ‘Severe’ category for the second straight day at 655. Stubble burning in neighbouring states emerged as the biggest contributor to the pollution, marking the first time this season that farm fires overtook other emission sources.
The Capital had recorded its first ‘Severe’ air quality day of the season on Tuesday, when the AQI touched 428 — the worst since December 19 last year.
Data from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology’s (IITM) Decision Support System (DSS) showed that stubble burning accounted for 22.47% of Delhi’s PM2.5 concentration on Wednesday, the highest share this season and higher than transport emissions, which stood at 15.59%. For Thursday, DSS projected a 10.1% contribution from stubble burning and 19.3% from transport-related emissions.
According to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), 1,477 farm fire incidents were recorded on Monday — 155 in Punjab, 29 in Haryana, 266 in Uttar Pradesh, 159 in Rajasthan, and 868 in Madhya Pradesh. Between September 15 and November 12, the six states logged 13,793 stubble burning cases: 4,662 in Punjab, 464 in Haryana, 2,490 in Uttar Pradesh, four in Delhi, 1,736 in Rajasthan, and 4,437 in Madhya Pradesh.
The share of stubble burning in Delhi’s pollution has risen steadily since late October, climbing from 2–4% between October 26 and November 5 to 10% on November 6, 13.68% on November 10, 15.45% the next day, and peaking at 22.47% on Wednesday.
The sharp deterioration in air quality this week, after several days in the ‘very poor’ range, was attributed to unfavourable local weather and vehicular emissions. Calm surface winds, lower temperatures, and strong nighttime inversion trapped pollutants close to the surface, while westerly winds blowing at 10–17 kmph carried smoke from Punjab and Haryana. Local sources such as traffic and road dust further added to the pollution load.
The IITM forecast indicated that the AQI is likely to remain in the ‘Very Poor’ category between November 13 and 15, with similar conditions expected over the following week.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi’s minimum temperature on Wednesday dropped to 10.4°C — nearly three degrees below normal — while the maximum settled at 27.7°C, about a degree below normal. Night temperatures have remained around 10°C since Monday, the lowest of the season so far. The IMD forecast mainly clear skies with mist or shallow fog during morning hours until November 18.
With air quality slipping into the ‘Severe’ category, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Tuesday enforced Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), imposing a ban on non-essential construction and demolition work, switching primary classes to hybrid mode, and prohibiting entry of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel light motor vehicles into the Capital.
