Delhi’s air quality was poor or worse for 155 days in 2024

Delhi's air quality crisis continues with 155 days of poor air in 2024, despite slight improvements in recent years.

The air quality in Delhi nosedived to hazardous levels on December 16, triggering the Central Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital Region (NCR) and the adjoining areas to reimpose the Stage-IV restrictions under its Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). When it comes to air quality at this time of the year, the story is no different since 2019, data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) shows.

Delhi air pollution: SC relaxes anti-pollution restrictions from GRAP IV to GRAP II in national capital region

In 2024 (until December 27), Delhi has witnessed 155 days of ‘poor’, ‘very poor’, or ‘severe’ air quality, that is, with an air quality index (AQI) of 200 or more. On the contrary, for the first time in six years, the city has not witnessed even one day of ‘good’ air quality days (AQI lesser than 50) in 2024.

However, over the last two years, there has been a slight improvement when it comes to the total number of days in a year where the air quality in the city was poor or worse. In 2022, the air quality in Delhi was poor or worse for 202 days or 55% of the year. This has come down to 159 days (or 44%) in 2023 and 155 days (43%) in 2024.

In 2020, when COVID-19 had triggered curbs and restrictions since March, Delhi had a total of 100 days where the air quality was ‘good’ or ‘satisfactory’, which means the AQI on those days was lesser than 100. It has only gotten worse since 2021.

The average quality of air has been ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ in Delhi from October to February every year since 2019. The AQI in the month of November is the highest in the year, averaging to around 347 over the past six years.

This average dips a little to around 330 in the month of December, the air quality being, still, ‘very poor’.