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Delhi awoke to a grim, suffocating haze on Thursday as the city's air quality index (AQI) soared by more than 100 points overnight, plunging millions into a health crisis. Polluted air made eyes water, throats burn, and skin itch, with the AQI rising from 202 ("poor") to a staggering 311 ("very poor") at 4 pm. This suffocating surge, blamed on a deadly mix of Punjab farm fires and widespread illegal firecracker use during Gurpurab festivities, follows a familiar and alarming annual pattern for the world's most polluted capital.
Stubble burning's contribution to Delhi's PM 2.5 pollution, the most hazardous particles for human lungs, reached 9.48 percent on Thursday, the highest so far this winter, and is projected to skyrocket to 38 percent on Friday as north-westerly winds carry toxic smoke hundreds of kilometres from Punjab's fields. In a revealing twist, this year's farm fire count in Punjab stands at 3,284 (down from over 5,000 last year), and Haryana has seen only 206 compared to 888 previously. Still, even fewer fires haven't spared the city as meteorological conditions trap pollutants close to the ground.
Experts from the environmental group Envirocatalysts warn that calm winds, temperature inversions, and increasing local emissions from vehicles and fireworks have created "ideal conditions" for pollution buildup, driving the AQI to hazardous levels. Data from 39 city monitors reveal that 29 stations were in the "very poor" category, with all others having a score over 200. Despite lower fire counts due to delayed harvests from floods in Punjab, the smoke plume's effect is amplified by the city's unique geography and climate.
Forecasts predict little relief, with very poor air likely to persist through the weekend and stubble burning's contribution hovering around 30 percent. Past data reveal that this period is the most acute for Delhi's winter pollution, with the single-day impact of farm fires peaking at 35 percent in 2023 and a worrisome 48 percent in 2021.
Meanwhile, experts and city officials face growing scrutiny over gaps and errors in air quality monitoring data, raising new concerns about the accurate scale of Delhi's invisible killer. As the toxic haze lingers, the city's residents can only brace for yet another battle for breath.