Delhi's Air Quality Deteriorates Further Due to Stubble Burning in Punjab

Delhi's air quality deteriorated further on Wednesday. The capital's Air Quality Index (AQI) shot up from 350 to 377, which falls in the very poor category. The Met department and pollution monitoring agencies say that the air could reach the severe category by Friday and is likely to remain so for about 6 days. According to news agency ANI, local factors accounted for 31 per cent of Delhi's pollution on Wednesday, while external factors accounted for 69 per cent. The biggest concern is stubble burning. The share of stubble increased from 8.2 per cent on Tuesday to 16.2 per cent on Wednesday. According to IITM estimates, this share could reach 20 per cent by Friday, which will be more than vehicular smoke. In view of this, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has issued a show-cause notice to the DCs and SSPs of 5 districts of Punjab - Barnala, Bathinda, Fazilka, Jalandhar and Faridkot - to stop stubble burning on Tuesday and on November 1 (Image: ANI).