The recent dip in temperature has been accompanied by a worsening of air quality in north India. Half the 54 cities, in six north Indian states, monitored by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), reported ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ air.

The 54 cities were spread across Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Chandigarh.

Only four cities in these states had a ‘poor’ Air Quality Index (AQI) October 1, 2020, according to a daily bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of around 115 cities across India. The number in the ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ categories had increased to 27 by October 15. The particulate matter had increased substantially in over 20 cities in the last 15 days.

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A report by The Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago in July had said that some areas of India fare much worse than average. Air pollution shortened lives by 9.4 years in the national capital Delhi and 8.6 years in UP, the most polluted state, according to the study based on an analysis of 20 years of pollution levels. 

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