Unravelling the Particulate Matter & Air Quality Index at Anand Vihar, Delhi: Trends, Exceedances and Meteorological Influences

Air pollution is a significant environmental concern in Delhi, consistently jeopardizing human health due to high concentrations of pollutants that frequently exceed the WHO and NAAQS limits in India. Anand Vihar is a wellknown hotspot for localized air pollution and is often at the most hazardous end of the pollution spectrum. In this study, a quantitative analysis of PM10, PM 2.5, and AQI, along with meteorological parameters, was conducted over 6 years (2019-2024) at Anand Vihar, Delhi. The annual and daily concentrations of PM10 and PM 2.5 exceed the NAAQS by 3-4 times. The inter-annual average concentrations of PM10 and PM 2.5 were highest in 2022 and 2024, respectively, and lowest in 2020. The overall order of seasonal average concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 (μg m−3) was: post-monsoon ≈ winter > pre-monsoon > monsoon. The annual PM 2.5/PM10 ratios were highest in 2020 and lowest in 2022, suggesting a mixture of fine and coarse-mode combustion aerosols, which accounted for 39–55% of the total PM2.5 load. A strong correlation (>0.6) between PM2.5 and PM10 was observed, indicating the prevalence of fine particulate emissions. The annual AQI values have consistently fallen into the Poor category, with only a slight improvement in 2020. According to the exceedance factor, 2024 was the most polluted year, while 2020 was the least polluted. This study underpins the limitations of current management strategies to achieve long-term outcomes for better air quality. It underlines the importance of enforcing strict curbs on emissions from different sources, which assists in strengthening localized airquality assessment to implement more effective strategies.