Delhi air quality remains in 'severe' category

New Delhi: As smoggy conditions prevailed in Delhi-NCR, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in most parts continued in the ‘severe’ category on Sunday.

The overall AQI of Delhi stood at 428 in the ‘severe’ category at around 7.30 a.m., as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Of the 35 monitoring stations, CPCB data showed that most areas reported air quality in the severe category, with AQI levels above 400.

According to CPCB measures, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, 401 and 450 ‘severe’ and above 450 ‘severe-plus’.

The air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR cities of Faridabad were 268, Gurugram was 287, Ghaziabad was 379, Greater Noida was 342 and Noida was 304.

The AQI level remained above 400 in most areas of Delhi — 457 in Anand Vihar, 466 in Ashok Vihar, 426 in Aya Nagar, 471 in Bawana, 415 in Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, 445 in Dwarka Sector 8, 448 in Dilshad Garden, 411 in ITO, 466 in Jahangirpuri, 419 in Major Dhyan Chand Stadium, 434 in Mandir Marg, 463 in Mundka, 402 in Najafgarh, 444 in Narela, 442 in Nehru Nagar, 427 in North Campus DU, 410 in NSIT Dwarka, 409 in Okhla Phase 2, 439 in Patparganj, 442 in Punjabi Bagh, 407 in Pusa, 434 in RK Puram, 449 in Rohini, 457 in Shadipur, 405 in Siri Fort, 440 in Sonia Vihar, 454 in Vivek Vihar, and 463 in Wazirpur.

Delhi’s air quality plummeted to the ‘severe’ category on Saturday, with an AQI of 417 against Friday’s AQI of 396.

The air quality in Delhi has been deteriorating since October which has been attributed to multiple factors, including firecrackers and stubble burning in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

In view of worsening pollution conditions, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) decided to implement Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Friday.

While GRAP-3 is in effect, construction and demolition have been halted, all non-essential mining activities suspended, non-electric, non-CNG and non-BS-VI diesel interstate buses restricted, and schools have been advised to shut till Class 5 in Delhi-NCR. On Saturday, the Haryana government authorised deputy commissioners to temporarily shut physical classes up to Class 5 in schools in their respective districts given the rising pollution levels.

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