New Delhi, Nov. 2 -- Delhi's respite from deteriorating air quality was short-lived, as the Capital recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 303, classified as "very poor," on Saturday. This marks a significant decline from Friday's 24-hour average AQI of 218, which was in the "poor" category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) daily bulletin. Meanwhile, Gurgaon logged a "poor" AQI of 276. Experts attributed the sharp dip to a change in wind direction, which led to a higher contribution from stubble burning. Data from the Centre's Decision Support System (DSS) showed stubble burning's contribution to Delhi's pollution rose from 1.6% on Friday to 9.03% on Saturday, though it is forecast to fall to 3.45% by Sunday. Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst at the think-tank Envirocatalysts, explained, "The wind speed did not see any significant change on Saturday, but the wind direction did. The wind a day before was mostly coming from the north but on Saturday, the primary wind direction was northwest and west, which is why the contribution of stubble burning from states like Haryana and Punjab went up." DSS data specifically highlighted the growing impact of pollution from Jhajjar in Haryana, which increased from 4.89% on Friday to 10.66% on Saturday, with forecasts predicting a rise to 11.24% by Sunday. "Jhajjar has two coal-based power plants; so, naturally, with the increase in contribution from the district, Delhi's air quality has deteriorated," Dahiya said. Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet Meteorology, added, "The wind speed has remained somewhat variable... The impact of slight rain... has also faded... The wind speed needs to be at least around 10-15kmph for it to properly help the dispersion of pollutants." The Centre's Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) forecast Delhi's AQI to remain in the "very poor" category from Sunday through Tuesday, with the same outlook for the subsequent six days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported Delhi's minimum temperature at 19.4degC, 3.3deg above normal, with Gurgaon logging a minimum temperature of 19.6degC, and forecast mainly clear skies with morning smog or shallow fog for Sunday. The IMD also forecasted a fresh western disturbance to influence the western Himalayan region from Monday night....