Delhi air pollution: NCR air quality reaches emergency levels

Delhi woke up to grey skies and low visibility levels as smog blotted out the sun with AQI inching closer to 'emergency' levels on Tuesday. This is the sixth day when AQI is trotting on severe levels in Delhi.

Air quality inched towards 'severe' category at 469 at 9am in Delhi's ITO whereas in Narela it stood at 489, 474 in Faridabad, 480 in Noida's Sector 62, 497 in Gurugram's Sector 51, 476 in Ghaziabad and 467 in Greater Noida according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

An AQI between 0-50 falls under good category, 51-100 under satisfactory, 101-200 under moderate, 201-300 under poor category, 301-400 under very poor and 401-500 under severe. SAFAR said that the share of stubble burning in Delhi's PM 2.5 pollution reached 38 per cent on Monday.

An AQI in the severe category can affect health people and severely impact those with pre-existing diseases. Given the worsening air pollution in Delhi, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has stated 13 per cent of coronavirus cases were due to poor air quality. Delhi has reported over 6,000 fresh COVID-19 cases per day as pollution levels escalate.

Meanwhile, the National Green Tribunal has imposed a blanket ban on the sale and use of firecrackers across Delhi-NCR from November 9 to November 30 given the rising levels of pollution. The NGT added, "Celebration by crackers is for happiness and not to celebrate deaths and diseases."

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