'Very poor' air chokes Delhi 3rd day running

Delhi's air quality remained perilously close to plunging into the "severe" category, marking a third consecutive day in the higher end of the "very poor" range on Tuesday.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

The city's 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 373, slightly down from Monday's 381, but still signaling a critical pollution trend as calm winds and seasonal conditions exacerbate pollutant build-up.

Experts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warn this stillness in the air will continue to make the dispersal of pollutants increasingly challenging in the coming days, especially as winter tightens its hold, allowing particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) to accumulate to hazardous concentrations.

"Even now, the climatic conditions are not significantly changing," said a senior IMD official. "Wind speeds are dropping at night, while daytime gusts remain low at 5-7 km/hr, with fluctuations in direction. As temperatures dip further, the likelihood of severe AQI spikes rises," they said, noting that forecasts suggest this pattern may hold through November 8.

However, there appears to be some silver lining to the clouds of haze.