Grey haze engulfs Delhi as farm fires, crackers raise AQI 100 pts

Air pollution levels in Delhi surged by more than 100 points on the air quality index (AQI) on Thursday as smoke from farm fires in Punjab and firecrackers burst overnight in the capital combined with local emissions trapped by calm winds and falling temperatures to shroud the city in thick haze.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

The AQI stood at 311 in the “very poor” category at 4 pm, up from 202 a day earlier, when people in several parts of the city illegally burst firecrackers to celebrate Gurpurab.

The grey haze that descended late on Wednesday persisted through Thursday morning, a stark contrast to the visually cleaner blue sky just a day earlier, as pollution made eyes water and throats scratchy.

Stubble burning in other states contributed an estimated 9.48% to Delhi's PM 2.5 pollution on Thursday — the highest as high as 48% in 2021.