After a brief improvement in air quality in the national capital, the Air Quality Index (AQI) once again returned to the ‘very poor’ category on the morning of October 27.

There was a slight improvement in Delhi’s AQI to 255 on October 26 from 270 on October 24 – both in the ‘poor’ category in the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) daily bulletin.

However, the marginal improvement in the 24-hour average was extremely short-lived, with the AQI falling to 291, close to the “very poor” level, at 8 p.m. yesterday, according to real-time data.

According to real-time data, the AQI at the following locations was recorded as ‘hazardous’ on the morning of October 27: Mundka (444), Pooth Khurd (431), ITI Jahangirpuri (373), Alipur (344), Narela ( 332). ), RK Puram (330), Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium (318) and Anand Vihar (303).

Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh), bordering Delhi, also witnessed a decline in air quality, with Indirapuram recording an AQI of 496, followed by Loni at 303 at 8 am today.

The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) forecast for Delhi suggests that the respite may be short-lived and the air quality may deteriorate to the ‘very poor’ category by Today. The situation is unlikely to improve before Dhanteras (October 29).

“Air quality will likely be very poor from Sunday to Tuesday. The outlook for the next six days is that air quality is likely to be very poor to severe,” AQEWS said in its forecast.

Delhi’s AQI hit the ‘very low’ mark for the first time this season on October 21. The government has already initiated phase 2 measures under the Graduated Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the NCR following the decline in AQI.

At the same time, the Delhi government announced a complete ban on all types of firecrackers until January 1, 2025, in a bid to reduce air pollution. The ban includes manufacturing, storage and sale of all firecrackers in the national capital, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee said.

The Center on October 26 urged states to strengthen implementation of existing micro-level action plans for crop residue management, as authorities strive to prevent the annual crop quality crisis. air in the nation’s capital.

Official data shows that stubble burning incidents fell by 35 percent in Punjab and 21 percent in Haryana compared to last year, with the overall number of cases down 51 percent since 2017. .