Highest 'severe', 'almost severe' days: Delhi on course for its worst Nov air

The Capital is on course to recording its worst November air quality in at least eight years, as pollution levels jumped into the "severe" zone on Friday, a grim record that underscores the severity of the health emergency that residents of Delhi have been subjected to.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

The 24-hour average AQI stood at 4pm on Friday stood at 415, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), a deterioration that came partially on account of unfavourable meteorological conditions - from 390 a day ago.

With this, Delhi's average AQI so far this month picked up to 375, only a shade better than 376 in the same month in 2021, which is so far Delhi's most polluted November.

Further, Met officials have warned that the air quality is unlikely to swing too much over the weekend at least, with a western disturbance likely to bring the city only a smattering of rain, that too only on Monday.

So with six days of the month still to go and weather conditions unlikely to be forgiving, this month is likely to surge past the November 2021 record, highlighting the administrative failure to curb emissions either locally, or in states where farmers burn paddy stubble, particularly Punjab.

The number of "severe" air days too is now behind only November 2016 (10) and November 2021 (11).