New Delhi, Nov 7 (UNI) Delhi's air quality on Friday remained in the 'very poor' category for the second day in a row, as the veil of toxic smog cloaked the city.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board's 4 pm daily bulletin, the 24-hour average AQI for Delhi stood at 322, degrading slightly from Thursday's reading of 311.
A day earlier, the capital witnessed a sharp surge in the level of pollutants, raising the AQI by over 100 points due to smoke coming from farm fires in Punjab, and the overnight bursting of firecrackers by the residents on Gurupurab.
The situation in Delhi is likely to get worse, with the likelihood of increased stubble burning contributing to capital's pollution load in the coming days, as per the prediction of the experts from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune.
According to the Decision Support System for Air Quality Management in Delhi, the stubble burning contribution to the capital's PM 2.5 load is likely to increase, rising to 30.9 per cent and 30.2 per cent on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, surpassing the transport sector, which has long been the major contributor to the city's PM 2.5 levels.
"The air quality is likely to be in the 'very poor' category until Monday," read a statement from the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi.
Delhi's air quality showed only a slight deterioration on Friday despite a spike in farm fires the previous day, likely due to strong winds over the past 24 hours. According to Central government data, stubble burning contributed 9.61 per cent to the city's pollution on Thursday -- the highest this winter -- yet the AQI rose only marginally.
Officials attributed this to the westerly winds that helped disperse pollutants. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, "Westerly winds prevailed with speeds up to 19 kmph in the past 24 hours over Delhi."
Meanwhile, the city's minimum temperature was appreciably below normal by 1-4°C and maximum temperatures are below normal by 1-3°C over Delhi, the weather department noted.
The temperatures are likely to drop further, with the minimum plunging to 9-11°C over the next few days.