Over the last four days, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) has been fluctuating sharply — after recording an AQI of 279 (Poor) on Wednesday, the number jumped to 373 (Very Poor) on Thursday, then improved to 218 (Poor) on Friday, only to return to the ‘Very Poor’ category again on Saturday when it recorded an AQI 303, making it one of the most volatile phases of bad air this pre-winter season.

The latest spike coincides with a sharp rise in stubble burning cases in Punjab, which reported 442 farm fires on Saturday — the highest single-day count so far this season and the largest recorded by any state for a day since mid-September, according to the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).

According to experts, Delhi ’s AQI swings sharply because of emissions from vehicles, waste bur

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