Delhi’s air quality remained in the “very poor” category on Saturday, with biomass burning emerging as the largest contributor to the city’s pollution.
Stubble burning and domestic solid biofuel combustion such as dung cakes and wood contributed 25.5 per cent to Delhi pollution, according to records. A slight improvement, however, is expected in the coming days due to rain, India Meteorological Department said. The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) in the day settled at 367, in the “very poor” category.
According to the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi, the particulate matter concentration in the air - PM2.5 and PM10 - is also set to see a decline over the next two days. Of the 59 monitoring stations that recorded data on Saturday, 17 were in the “severe” category, 38 in the “very poor” category, three in the “poor” category and one in the “moderate” category.
The city’s average AQI improved slightly from 373 on Friday to 367 on Saturday.