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1h ago

Delhi’s Air Quality Eases to ‘Poor’ After Smog Spike as Truck Entry Ban Begins

Forecasts point to a quick slide back to very poor levels despite a brief, weather-driven improvement.

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Since Diwali, Delhi NCR’s AQI has remained in the ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ range.
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A bird takes a flight as a layer of smog engulfs the city after deterioration in air quality in Delhi-NCR.

Overview

  • The city logged an overall AQI around 233–251 on Saturday morning, with most stations in the ‘poor’ band and hotspots such as Wazirpur touching ‘very poor’ at about 323, CPCB data showed.
  • Friday’s AQI fell by more than 150 points to 218 by 4 pm and near 203 by 8 pm, helped by sunshine, stronger winds and trace rainfall recorded in parts of Delhi and the NCR.
  • Authorities began enforcing from November 1 a ban on entry of non-Delhi-registered commercial goods vehicles meeting only BS-III or lower norms, deploying joint Transport–Traffic Police teams at key borders.
  • Stage II of the GRAP remains in effect, NDMC has doubled parking fees to discourage private vehicle use, and agencies are running dust control, road sweeping and anti-smog operations.
  • Modeling indicates local sources dominate this episode, with transport contributing roughly 15–17% of PM2.5 versus a modest 2.5–6% from stubble burning, while cloud-seeding trials are on hold as IMD questions their impact.