Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘poor’ category for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, with a slight worsening in the last 24 hours, even as the Supreme Court allowed the use of ‘green firecrackers’ during Diwali from October 18 to 21. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 213 at 11 am, a small increase from Tuesday’s 211 recorded at 4 pm.

Tuesday marked Delhi’s first ‘poor’ air quality day of the season and the first since June 11, when the city recorded a poor AQI of 245 during the pre-monsoon period. The spike prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region (NCR) to hold an emergency meeting and implement stage-1 measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) immediately. These stage-1 measures are mostly preventive, including mechanised road sweeping, water sprinkling, strict enforcement of pollution control norms for vehicles, solid waste removal, and a halt to construction and demolition activities at unregistered sites larger than 500 square meters.

CAQM also urged residents to celebrate festivals in an eco-friendly way, avoid bursting firecrackers, keep their vehicle pollution control certificates up to date, maintain their vehicles properly, turn off engines at traffic signals, and avoid littering.

The Centre’s Air Quality Early Warning System forecasts no immediate relief, predicting that Delhi’s air quality will remain in the ‘poor’ category from October 15 to 17 and may worsen to ‘very poor’ around or after Diwali. Meteorological factors such as mist and shallow fog are expected to develop in the mornings, further worsening air quality. Strong winds or rain, which could help disperse pollutants, are unlikely in the near future.

According to the Decision Support System model analyzing pollution sources, stubble burning contributed a minimal 0.53% to Delhi’s PM 2.5 levels on Tuesday. The largest contributors were Delhi’s transport sector (19.8%), followed by Gurugram (9.3%) and Delhi’s residential sector (5.1%).

Overall, with limited wind and no rain forecasted, Delhi’s air quality is expected to stay poor for several days, urging residents to take necessary precautions and follow eco-friendly practices during the festive season.