Strong Winds Bring Slight Relief, But Delhi's Air Quality Still "Very Poor"

Delhi's air quality showed a slight improvement on Thursday but remained in the "very poor" category for the fourth consecutive day, aided by stronger surface winds that helped disperse pollutants.

The city's 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 305 at 4 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 410 -- the highest among all the monitoring stations.

Of the 38 monitoring stations across the city, 23 recorded "very poor" air quality, while 14 fell under the "poor" category, according to the Sameer app created by the CPCB.

Delhi was the fifth most-polluted city in the country on Thursday, with Bahadurgarh recording an AQI of 325.

In comparison, neighbouring National Capital Region (NCR) cities, such as Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad, reported better air quality, remaining in the "poor" category with AQI levels in the 200 range, according to the CPCB.

A haze shrouded Delhi during the day, with wind speeds reaching 10-15 kmph in the afternoon hours.

Forecasts from the Centre's Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) indicate that Delhi's AQI will likely remain in the "very poor" category till Saturday, after which it may fluctuate between "poor" and "very poor" over the next six days.

According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".

Transport emissions accounted for 15.7 per cent in Delhi's air pollution on Thursday, according to data from the Decision Support System (DSS).

Residential sources contributed 4 per cent, Delhi and peripheral industries 3.4 per cent, neighbouring cities 4-5 per cent and other sources 35 per cent.

Meanwhile, satellite data showed 69 incidents of stubble burning in Punjab, three in Haryana and 44 in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

On the weather front, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 32.2 degrees Celsius on Thursday, 0.1 degree above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 18.1 degrees Celsius.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast mist for Friday morning, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 32 degrees Celsius and 18 degrees Celsius, respectively.

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