(Image source from: Aninews.in)

Delhi is facing its worst November air quality in at least eight years, with pollution levels reaching the "severe" range on Friday. This alarming record highlights the seriousness of the health crisis faced by the city's residents. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) at 4 pm on Friday was 415, a deterioration from 390 the previous day, partly due to unfavorable weather conditions. Delhi's average AQI for this month currently stands at 375, slightly better than the 376 recorded in November 2021, which was the most polluted November in Delhi's history.

Furthermore, meteorological officials have cautioned that the air quality is unlikely to improve significantly over the weekend. There may be a slight improvement on Monday when a western disturbance is expected to bring some scattered rain to the city. Punjab. The count of "severe" air days now ranks third, following November 2016 (10) and November 2021 (11).

Meteorologists have stated that Saturday will not bring any favorable changes in meteorological conditions, such as increased wind speed and higher temperatures. Consequently, the air quality is expected to remain "severe," resulting in Delhi experiencing its 10th such day this month. However, there is hope for improvement on Sunday as the minimum temperature starts to rise and winds begin to pick up due to a western disturbance. This disturbance is also predicted to bring light rain to Delhi on Monday.

Although this month's count of "severe" days does not surpass the highest recorded in the past eight years, there have been six additional days with Air Quality Index (AQI) readings of 390 or above, bringing the total number of such days to 15. This is the highest count for November in the past eight years, surpassing the previous record of 13 days set in November 2021.