Delhi’s Air Quality Decline and Stubby Burning

• Delhi’s air quality is deteriorating due to the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon and the onset of winter.

• PM 2.5 levels exceed 300, classified as’very poor’.

• Stubby burning, a traditional practice of burning paddy stalks after harvesting, has been linked to air pollution since the 1990s.

• A 2023 study found a strong correlation between wind direction from Punjab and Haryana and pollution levels in Delhi.

• From mid-October to end of November 2022, stubble burning’s role in air quality was on average 22%, peaking at 35%.

• Other pollution sources include secondary inorganic aerosols and urban emissions from vehicles.

• The air quality index in Delhi improved from 2016-23, but in six of these seven years, the index stayed above 216, indicating that sources other than stubble burning significantly contribute to air pollution. • On October 25, stubble burning was responsible for nearly 15% of Delhi’s air pollution