Delhi AQI Stays Poor Year-Round; Thermal Plants are New Culprits

Data shows that air quality in Delhi remains poor throughout 2024, including in periods when stubble burning is not occurring in Panjab. From Jan to Mar 2024, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) ranged from ‘very poor’ to ‘poor,’ while Panjab recorded ‘moderate’ AQIs, with levels of 355, 218, and 176 in Delhi and 149, 112, and 99 in Panjab. Panjab’s pollution control authorities attribute Delhi’s pollution to internal sources, with blame shifting during winter when stubble burning increases in both Panjab and Haryana. A NASA satellite image shows a thick toxic blanket of smog covering eastern Pakistan and northern India. Meanwhile, as Delhi pollution levels soared to their worst this season, and AQI reached hazardous levels — more than 50 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended safe limit. New Delhi authorities implemented Graded Response Action Plan 4 and courts have ordered them to be in place even if AQI comes down below 300. Studies estimate that over a million Indians die each year from pollution-related diseases. Across the border, Pakistan’s Panjab province faces similar challenges, with Lahore recording an AQI of 1,136, making it the most polluted city globally. Meanwhile, a study by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air has found that thermal power plants in the greater Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) emit 16 times more air pollutants than stubble burning. Specifically, thermal power plants in NCR emit 281 kilotonnes of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) annually, compared to 17.8 kilotonnes emitted by burning of paddy straw in Panjab and Haryana. India is currently the world’s largest SO₂ emitter, responsible for over 20% of global anthropogenic SO₂ emissions, primarily due to its dependence on coal.