By Admin 
The situation in Delhi is bad due to pollution. The situation is such that even breathing becomes difficult here. AQI in the capital has reached its worst level in the last seven years in the month of December. This year, December was the worst since 2018 with an average AQI of 349, while the contribution of stubble in PM 2.5 pollution was only 3.5 percent.
An official said that in December 2018, the average air quality index (AQI) of the capital was recorded at 360. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the average AQI was 294 in December 2024, 348 in 2023, 319 in 2022, 336 in 2021, 332 in 2020, 337 in 2019 and 301 in 2015.
AQI remained in severe category for 5 days
This month, air quality in Delhi was recorded in ‘severe’ category for five days. There was such a situation in Delhi for six days in December last year. On Monday too, Delhi’s air quality reached ‘severe’ category with 401 at 4 pm, while on Sunday it was recorded in ‘very poor’ category with 390.
Increase in pollution due to stubble?
According to information provided by CPCB in response to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) by environmentalist Amit Gupta, the contribution of stubble to Delhi’s PM 2.5 pollution was only 3.5 per cent till December 5 this year, while Delhi-NCR remains one of the most polluted regions in the country.
The CPCB said it relied on the 2018 TERI-ARAI source apportionment study to assess the contribution of different sources to PM2.5 and PM10 pollution in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). She said no comprehensive source apportionment study has been conducted since then.
There has been a decline in stubble burning in the last few years
However, daily average data from the Decision Support System (DSS) of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, shows that the contribution of stubble burning to PM 2.5 levels during the October-December period has declined steadily over the last few years.
The share of stubble burning was 13 percent in 2020 and 2021, declined to 9 percent in 2022, increased marginally to 11 percent in 2023 and 10.6 percent in 2024, after which it declined to 3.5 percent in 2025.