Delhi's air quality slips to ‘severe’ category again

Commuters out at NH 24 near Akshardham Temple on a smoggy morning amid rising air pollution levels Delhi NCR, in New Delhi.

The overall air quality in the national capital Delhi deteriorated to the ‘severe’ category again on Friday with thick, grey haze shrouding the city’s sky.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi’s Anand Vihar was recorded at 412, in Ashok Vihar at 405, in Jahangirpuri at 411, in Dwarka Sector 8 at 402.

The city’s 24-hour average AQI was recorded in the ‘very poor’ category with a reading of 398 yesterday, while on Wednesday, it was recorded in the ‘poor’ category with an AQI reading of 290. Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 25.1 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season’s average on Thursday, while the minimum temperature settled at 12.6 degrees Celsius.

With the onset of winter season and rising pollution levels, the morning walkers claimed to face several problems including breathing issues .

“There is a lot of pollution in Delhi. We face difficulty in breathing during the morning walks. The pollution was reduced a little due to rain but it is still a lot. The government does not make enough effort… The pollution is very high,” a local said to news agency ANI while strolling at Kartavya Path.

Meanwhile, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai has ordered to implement the stages 1 and 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) after stages 3 and 4 were withdrawn on account of improved air quality over the past few days.

According to the forecasts, there would be no significant change in meteorological conditions over the next few days. The national capital has recorded nine “severe” days in November when the AQI was over 400, and another nine days when the AQI was on the brink of “near-severe” — between 390 and 400. The Delhi’s AQI was “very poor” for 17 days and “poor” for four days.

According to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), unfavourable meteorological conditions and paddy harvesting activities during Diwali led to the deterioration of air quality in the city and its adjoining areas. According to its data, the November month average AQI was observed at 373 this year, while it was 380 in 2021 and 374 in 2016.

(With inputs from agencies)

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