Pollution: Delhi’s air quality slips back to ‘severe’ with AQI at 420

Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to the ‘severe’ category on Saturday morning, registering an AQI of 420. The minimum temperature stood at 11.4 degrees Celsius.

Of the 38 monitoring stations, nine recorded air quality in the ‘severe plus’ category, with AQI levels exceeding 450. Nineteen stations reported ‘severe’ air quality with AQI between 400 and 450, while the remaining stations recorded AQIs in the ‘very poor’ category.

The humidity level was recorded at 97 per cent at 8:30 AM, with maximum and minimum temperatures forecast at 25 and 12 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Delhi’s hazardous air quality has persisted for more than 20 days. It first entered the ‘very poor’ category on October 30 and remained so for 15 days. Conditions worsened last Sunday as the city experienced ‘severe’ air quality, which continued through Monday and Tuesday.

By Wednesday, the AQI had escalated to the ‘severe plus’ category. A brief improvement due to favourable winds on Thursday was followed by another decline, with the air quality nearing ‘severe’ levels again on Friday.

The worsening pollution has also affected pets and stray animals, causing health issues and behavioural changes. Veterinarians report an increase in respiratory problems among animals, with symptoms like coughing, sneezing, vomiting, diarrhoea, and chest congestion.

Sumit Nagar, a consulting veterinary doctor with the Delhi Forest and Wildlife Department, noted a rise in respiratory distress cases in animals. Similar to humans, animals are facing suffocation, lung damage, and respiratory inflammation. During Diwali, incidents of noise-induced shock and burns, particularly in monkeys coming into contact with wires, have been reported.

Pet owners are taking precautions, such as limiting outdoor walks to shield their pets from the toxic air. However, this has led to behavioural issues, including pent-up energy and aggression in some dogs. “The morning smog makes walking my dogs difficult. Exposure to the toxic air causes them to cough and vomit,” said Sujata Bhattacharya, a Pitampura resident.

(With inputs from PTI)