
Even before Diwali, the air quality in Delhi is poor. The Indian capital's air has once again surpassed all pollution norms. The most polluted region in Delhi is Bawana.
After four days of 'bad' air, air quality dropped to the 'very poor' level of the Central Pollution Control Board's categorisation on Wednesday, with an air quality index (AQI) score of 330.
The air quality in Delhi's neighbouring cities of Faridabad (306), Ghaziabad (334) and Noida (303) was likewise quite poor.
Previously, on October 17, Delhi's highest AQI of the season was 298, which falls in the "poor" category.
An AQI of zero to 50 is regarded 'good,' 51 to 100 is considered 'satisfactory,' 101 to 200 is considered 'moderate,' 201 to 300 is considered 'poor,' 301 to 400 is 'very poor,' and 401 to 500 is 'severe.'
Watch | India: Delhi's AQI enters 'very poor' category for the 1st time in this season
This year's rainy season lasted until the end of October.This made October a lot cleaner than it had been in prior years.
At the same time, it pushed back the harvesting season.
Just before Diwali, Punjab and Haryana are seeing major stubble burning.
Until November 2, more over 3,000 fires were reported in Punjab, with over 200 fires reported in Haryana on Tuesday.
The harvesting cycle was also delayed as a result of the substantial rains that occurred until the third week of October.
According to the India Meteorological Department, due to higher stubble burning, the contribution of stubble burning to pollution during Diwali would be more than 5%.
(With inputs from agencies)