Delhi's air quality worsened after Diwali as the Air Quality Index (AQI) reading breached 400 in multiple parts of the national capital on Monday, pushing it to the 'severe' category.
The other areas which reported 'severe' AQI are Dwarka, Patparganj, Jahangirpuri and Punjabi Bagh. Meanwhile, areas like Anand Vihar (433), Ashok Vihar (410), Rohini (411) and Vivek Vihar (426) had AQI levels more than 400," the Central Pollution Control Board said.
Several areas in the national capital had recorded AQIs in the "very poor" category on Monday, said the Delhi government. The areas where this happened include Lajpat Nagar, RK Puram, Lodi Road, and North Campus as well. The average 24-hour AQI of the city at 7 a.m. was reported at 373, marking a significant fall from the Sunday tally.
Air Quality EWS said adverse weather conditions, such as weak winds and low temperatures, would not allow pollutant dispersion. The India Meteorological Department has predicted that from Monday to Wednesday, there will be smog and mist in the morning due to wind speeds not expected to exceed 10 kmph, which will aggravate pollution.
Despite a fall in stubble burning's share to 15 percent on November 2, down from 35 percent on November 1, Delhi's AQI recorded the highest in the season on Sunday at 382, up from 316 on Saturday.
Neither did the situation in NCR region improve and remain worrying as Noida had 305, Ghaziabad had 295, and Gurugram had 276. Next-door states also witnessed high AQI levels: Sriganganagar with 397, Hisar with 372, and Bharatpur with 320.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) reacts with a multi-pronged GRAP while penalizing those construction sites, vehicles and industries which are polluters. Road dust control was carried out by deploying daily nearly 600 mechanical sweeping machines, water sprinklers along with anti-smog guns in the National Capital Region or NCR.
AQI ranging between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
Read also| Top LeT Commander Usman Bhai Killed in Srinagar Gunfight; Four Security Personnel Injured
Read also| Coordinated Patrols Begin Between Indian and Chinese Armies in Demchok Along LAC
