Farm fires subside but Delhi air quality remains perilous

Weather patterns probable cause of persisting air pollution problem in national capital region

- Puja Das

The air quality in Delhi saw no improvement in November despite a significant fall in stubble burning in neighbouring states, pointing to weather patterns as the probable culprit for what has ballooned to an air pollution crisis in the national capital region.

Although the incidence of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana dropped 26.5% on year to 36,663 and 37% to 2,303, respectively between September 15 and November 30, the dangerous PM2.5 level in Delhi this November was 33% worse than the corresponding period last year.

The average air quality index last month was 372, the second highest for the month since 2017, after an average of 377 recorded in 2021.

This is higher than the average of 320 recorded last year, 327 in 2020, and 312 in 2019, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modeling from Space (Creams) laboratory.