NEW DELHI — Delhi woke up to another morning of toxic air on Saturday, November 7, a day before Diwali, with the city's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 364, in the 'very poor' category, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data reported by ANI. PTI, also citing CPCB data, put the 9 am reading at the same 364, against a 24-hour average of 382 at 4 pm on Friday.

Source: ANI via Khelja

The citywide figure was a slight improvement on Friday morning's 389, but large pockets of the capital were already in the severe zone. ANI reported IIT Delhi at 443, Punjabi Bagh at 433 and Narela at 409 on Saturday morning, and PTI reported that 18 of the city's 59 monitoring stations recorded severe air on Saturday morning. The Times of Bengal, citing the 7:30 am readings, counted 22 stations in the severe category, with Vivek Vihar at 425.

Source: PTI via The Hindu BusinessLine

364Delhi overall AQI, Saturday morning, Nov 7 (CPCB)
443IIT Delhi station AQI — severe
433Punjabi Bagh station AQI — severe
382Friday's 24-hour average AQI at 4 pm (CPCB)

A follow-on from Friday's GRAP-III move

Saturday's readings come a day after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR on Friday, November 6 — the development Awaaz Punjab reported yesterday — bringing in stricter curbs on construction, vehicles and other polluting activity as a precaution ahead of Diwali. Under the CPCB scale, an AQI of 301–400 is 'very poor' and 401–500 is 'severe'.

Forecast: severe during Saturday, no quick relief

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi expects the city's AQI to reach the severe category during Saturday, PTI reported. The Times of Bengal, citing the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), said air quality could remain in the severe category from November 7 to 9 and fluctuate between severe and very poor over the following six days. Diwali falls on Sunday, November 8, and Delhi's permitted green-cracker window runs on November 7 and 8, which forecasters say could push pollution higher.

Source: The Times of Bengal

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded mist at Safdarjung early on Saturday, where the temperature was 17.0°C at 5:30 am, ANI reported; the day's minimum is expected around 16°C and the maximum around 29°C, with shallow fog early followed by mainly clear skies, according to the IMD forecast cited by The Times of Bengal.

What happens next

With GRAP Stage-III curbs in force, Diwali on Sunday and a severe-air forecast through November 9, Delhi's next AQI readings — Saturday evening and Diwali morning — will show whether the city average formally crosses into the severe band and whether Stage-IV measures come into the discussion.