Amid spike in pollution, Delhi's high NO2 levels a sign of worry

Delhi’s high particulate matter (PM) 2.5 concentration may be the focus of agencies and government departments as they look to bring down the Capital’s high pollution levels but the concentration of another pollutant, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), is slowly beginning to spike and is currently two-to-three times the permissible limit of 80 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) in parts of the city, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

NO2 comes largely from vehicle emissions, and its levels indicate an enduring problem with Delhi’s air — pollution from vehicles.

According to the Delhi economic survey 2022-23, there are 7,917,898 registered vehicles in Delhi. In addition, Delhi also sees vehicular traffic from Gurugram and Faridabad (in Haryana), and Noida and Ghaziabad (in Uttar Pradesh).

It should come as no surprise, then that ITO , one of Delhi’s busiest traffic intersections is currently recording the highest NO2 levels in November, averaging an NO2 concentration of 191µg/m3, over twice the daily safe limit.

Another high-traffic zone, Nehru Nagar (123 micrograms per cubic metre) has the second highest concentration in the month, followed by Okhla Phase-2, which recorded an average NO2 concentration of 116µg/m3.