This is among Delhi's worst air streaks: Data

Other limitations include data only being available on the website for a period of four days, without having any access to an archive. This means one cannot study the source break-up on previous days.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

NEW DELHI: Delhi's battle with hazardous air quality persisted on Wednesday, with the city recording an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 419, firmly in the "severe" category - making the fifth consecutive day of "severe" pollution and the seventh such day in eight days. This makes the current spell one of the longest and most intense spells of toxic air in recent years, according to data maintained by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Wednesday's air, however, was an improvement from the AQI reading of 460 ("severe") on Tuesday thanks to a relatively weaker fog and some surface winds. Delhi typically records its worst pollution levels in November and December.

The ongoing pollution crisis mirrors some of the worst episodes of choking air in the city, data shows.

The last comparable streak was in December 2021, when the city experienced six consecutive days of "severe" air from December 21 to 26.

To be sure, unlike 2021, this year's pollution levels have shown more sustained intensity. The AQIs preceding and succeeding the six-day period in 2021 - on December 20 and December 27 were 332 ("very poor") and 283 ("poor"), respectively.