New Delhi: With coordinated efforts, number of good days (AQI<200) in Delhi have increased to 200 days in 2025 from 110 days in 2016, the Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav told Lok Sabha on Monday. “While there is an overall improvement in the AQI this year, 'very poor' days (AQI: 301-400) and 'severe' (AQI more than 401) days have reduced from 71 days in 2024 to 50 days in 2025. Delhi has observed lowest average AQI in the past 8 years, that is, from 2018 to 2025 (barring 2020 Covid lockdown),” he said, in a reply to a question on impact of stubble burning in neighbouring states on Delhi's air. Yadav, in a statement, said Punjab and Haryana have collectively recorded about 90 per cent reduction in fire incidences during paddy harvesting season in 2025 in comparison to the same period in 2022. Listing Punjab’s district-wise data on farm fires reported in November (till November 29), the Minister said the maximum number of 414 fires were reported in Sangrur district followed by Ferozpur with 381 incidents. During the month, as many as 3,470 farm fires were reported in Punjab. The official data showed that the total number of farm fires in the state in October was 1,547, with the maximum number 363 incidents reported in Tarn Taran district followed by 279 incidents in Sangrur district. Yadav highlighted the measures taken by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), including direction to kilns and thermal plants to co-fire biomass-based pellets and monitoring of dust mitigation by flying squads. The Minister explained that air pollution in Delhi National Capital Region (NCR) is a collective result of multiple factors including high level of anthropogenic activities in the high-density populated areas in NCR, arising from various sectors like Vehicular Pollution, Industrial Pollution, Dust from Construction and Demolition Project activities, Road and Open Areas Dust, Biomass Burning, Municipal Solid Waste burning, Fires in Landfills and air pollution from dispersed sources as well as various meteorological factors. Stubble burning in the neighbouring states in the NCR region and Punjab during the winter season has also been identified as an episodic event which aggravates the air quality index in Delhi-NCR. (IANS)
