Delhi's air quality has deteriorated for the sixth day in a row, and it is expected to enter the red zone on Diwali.

On Monday, the national capital's air quality remained poor for the sixth consecutive day, with stubble burning accounting for 7% of the capital's PM2.5 pollution. According to SAFAR, the air quality is expected to improve marginally over the following two days due to breezes from the west and south-west.

On Diwali night, the Ministry of Earth Sciences' Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi anticipated that PM2.5 and PM10 levels in the capital might reach 250 micrograms per cubic meter and 398 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively.

The permitted limits for PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations are 60 and 100 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively. "The air quality is expected to deteriorate dramatically on November 5 and 6, reaching the top end of the very poor category." PM2.5 is the most prevalent pollutant "It stated.

SAFAR reported 3,971 farm fires in Delhi's northwest region on Sunday, the most so far this season. "Due to unfavorable transport winds, the share of crop residue burning emissions in PM2.5 is minimal." "It stated.

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board, the capital has a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) of 281. On Sunday, it was 289, and on Saturday, it was 268.

An AQI of zero to 50 is deemed "excellent," 51 to 100 "acceptable," 101 to 200 "moderate," 201 to 300 "poor," 301 to 400 "extremely poor," and 401 to 500 "severe."

According to the CPCB, agencies in the Delhi-NCR region have resolved only 11% of air pollution-related complaints since October 15, when the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) went into effect to address the region's worsening air quality. Between October 15 and October 30, just 47 of 424 complaints were handled by agencies in Delhi and the NCR cities of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

The majority of complaints are about building and demolition activities, unpaved roads, road dust, open garbage, and industrial waste dumping, and traffic congestion. GRAP is a collection of anti-pollution measures implemented in Delhi and adjacent areas based on the severity of the issue. It goes into effect in mid-October, when air pollution levels in the region begin to worsen owing to unfavorable weather and stubble burning.