New Delhi: The city Wednesday logged its first poor air-quality day in 100 days. More remarkably, this run of relatively clean air had extended this year till Oct 20 — the farthest into the post-monsoon period since Air Quality Index (AQI) records began in 2015 — shielding Delhiites from toxic air for longer during the festive season than ever in recent years.
Last year, for instance, the streak ran for 124 days, the longest on record. One, the period from June 1 (start of the monsoon season) till Oct 20 recorded just three poor-air days. The previous lowest for this period was 10 days, seen in 2021 and 2023. In 2021, which recorded the cleanest Oct till date, the first poor-air day was logged on the 16th of the month. “The satellite data used by Indian agencies has been shown to miss around 90% of stubble-burning incidents.
Due to rain at regular intervals, the monsoon period has the cleanest air of the year in Delhi. Because oct remained relatively clean during the first 20 days, two, this extended run was possible.
I expect a spurt in burning during the week following Diwali, when the air quality in Delhi-NCR is likely to worsen,” Beig said. This year’s clean-air spell was unprecedented on two counts. So, the city this year was largely free of poor air quality for nearly five months. This is unprecedented in AQI records. Plus, this year, the paddy harvest has been delayed. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in Delhi
The monsoon arrived in Delhi on July 2. Weather appears to have played a major role in keeping Delhi’s air clean during this period, with rain spells at regular intervals. Even before that, the month of June saw very light-to-light rain on at least eight days, spaced more or less equally across the month. Delhi govt’s efforts to keep dust levels down would also have played a role. Conditions have since changed. Temperatures have fallen below normal over the past week, wind speeds are low and so are the chances of rain. Plus, around the corner are the additional sources of pollution the region usually gets during this season — stubble burning and firecrackers. Research has shown that while the burning of paddy residue in Punjab and Haryana has reduced in the past two years, the reduction is nowhere close to what the fire counts from satellite data suggest.