New Delhi: Delhi’s air quality plunged deeper into the “severe” zone on Sunday, recording an AQI of 440, marking the city’s most polluted January day in two years and the worst air quality for the second half of the month since 2019.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), this reading follows Saturday’s AQI of over 400, making it the first consecutive days above 400 in this period since 2016. Anand Vihar was the most affected, with an AQI of 497 at noon, nearly touching the maximum of 500. Other severely impacted areas included Mundka and Rohini, both at 491.

Experts attribute the spike to stagnant winds, a western disturbance bringing moisture, and accumulating emissionsfrom vehicles, industries, thermal plants, and construction activities across the National Capital Region (NCR). Dipankar Saha, former head of CPCB’s air lab, noted that the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has had limited effect in curbing such spikes under calm wind conditions.

Meteorologists forecast slight improvement on Monday, as weather conditions may help disperse pollutants, potentially lowering the AQI to the “very poor” category.

Restrictions Under GRAP

In response to deteriorating air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) implemented Stage 4 GRAP measures:

• Ban on BS-IV trucks entering Delhi
• Prohibition of construction and demolition activities
• Schools up to Class 10 to shift to hybrid lessons
• Private vehicles restrictions under previous Stage 3 measures continue

Stage 3 measures, invoked Friday, had already restricted older vehicles, private construction, stone crushers, and imposed hybrid lessons for schools up to Class 5 in Delhi and neighbouring districts.

Experts Warn of Governance Failures

Experts highlighted that Delhi’s persistent air pollution stems not just from meteorological conditions, but also from diffused and controllable sources like road dust, waste burning, and poorly managed civic infrastructure. Mukesh Khare, from the Delhi government expert panel, called the situation a sign of failing governance, stressing that local bodies must improve enforcement to prevent recurring spikes.

The Supreme Court has recently criticised the CAQM for failing to identify pollution sources and their contributions, directing a source-apportionment exercise to be completed and published within two weeks.

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