Delhi air pollution: AQI in 'severe' category again, construction ban to continue; top points

The air quality in several parts of Delhi continued to be in 'severe' category on Wednesday morning amid unfavourable meteorological conditions. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI stood at 430 in Anand Vihar, 423 in Punjabi Bagh, 417 in RK Puram, 411 in Patparganj, and 413 in Rohini at 6 am today.

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 500 'severe'.

Delhi air quality turns 'severe' again: Top points so far

1. On Tuesday too, air pollution levels hit the severe category (AQI above 400) at many places within the city, including ITO (427), RK Puram (422), Punjabi Bagh (423), Nehru Nagar (450), Anand Vihar (439) and Nehru Nagar (450).

2. The national capital recorded a jump in pollution levels and a smoky haze returned on Monday after people flouted the ban on firecrackers on Diwali night.

3. Delhi was the most polluted city in the world on Tuesday, followed by Dhaka Lahore and Mumbai, as per IQAir, a Swiss company that specialises in air quality monitoring.

4. Delhi had recorded its best air quality on Diwali day in eight years on Sunday, with its 24-hour average AQI settling at 218 at 4 pm.

5. However, the bursting of firecrackers till late Sunday night led to a spike in pollution levels amid low temperatures.

6. "It's evident that the spike in pollution levels post Diwali is due to two factors -- firecracker bursting and farm fires -- with fireworks being the predominant reason in this case," an official of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for formulation of strategies to reduce pollution in Delhi-NCR, told PTI.

7. Stubble-burning accounted for 12 per cent of the air pollution in the capital on Tuesday, as per a system developed by the Pune-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology to identify the contribution of different pollution sources. It is likely to be 14 per cent on Wednesday and 6 per cent on Thursday.`

8. The CAQM official quoted above said stringent measures, including a ban on construction work and the entry of polluting trucks in the national capital, under the final stage of the central government's air pollution control plan called the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will continue until further orders.

"Stubble burning incidents are rising again and the meteorological conditions are not favourable (for dispersion of pollutants). We will review the situation and act accordingly," the official added.

Also Read: Raymond's Gautam Singhania's separation from wife brings his feud with father Vijaypat back in focus