Delhi’s air quality slips back to ‘severe’ with AQI at 420

Delhi's worsening air quality is causing respiratory distress in animals, impacting their health and behavior, veterinarians and activists warn.

Delhi’s air quality slipped back to the ‘severe’ category on Saturday (November 23, 2024) morning with an AQI of 420 while the minimum temperature was recorded at 11.4° Celsius.

Out of 38 monitoring stations, nine recorded air quality in the ‘severe plus’ category with AQI exceeding 450. Nineteen other stations recorded ‘severe’ air quality with AQI levels between 400 and 450. The remaining stations recorded AQIs in the ‘very poor’ category.

The humidity level was 97% at 8.30 a.m. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle at 25 and 12° Celsius respectively.

Delhi’s air quality has remained hazardous for over 20 days. On October 30, it first slipped into the ‘very poor’ category and stayed there for 15 days. It worsened further last Sunday as Delhi recorded ‘severe’ air quality and stayed so on Monday and Tuesday.

By Wednesday, the air quality was in the ‘severe plus’ category.

Favourable wind conditions brought slight relief on Thursday but the air quality began deteriorating again, nearing the ‘severe’ category, on Friday.

Rising pollution levels in Delhi are impacting pets and street animals, causing health issues and behavioural changes that have concerned pet owners and animal welfare activists, veterinarians said.