Even though a drizzle was predicted in certain areas of the Capital city Delhi, and was supposed to slightly lessen the pollution, Delhi’s air quality on Monday declined to the severe category, with an hourly air quality index (AQI) of 402 at 7am compared to a 24-hour average of 396 (very bad) at 4pm on Sunday.
From November 27 [Monday] to November 29 [Wednesday], Delhi’s air quality is expected to improve and remain in the extremely bad category. An Early Warning System message stated that “the outlook for the next six days shows the air quality is likely to remain in the very poor category.”
Up until Sunday, Delhi’s monthly average AQI of 377 was the highest for November in the previous eight years. In November 2021, it was 376, and in November 2016, it was 374.
This month, Delhi has seen nine severe air days; in comparison, there were ten in November 2016 and eleven in November 2021. Days where the AQI was on the verge of severe, or between 390 and 400, have also been noted. This month, there have been seven such days noted.
The previous peak of 13 such days occurred in November 2021, making this the greatest count of such days in November in the preceding eight years. In November 2016, 11 days had an AQI of 390 or higher in Delhi.
At least four degrees colder than what was reported on Sunday, the lowest temperature was predicted to stay around 12°C and the highest to reach 22°C.