The air quality in Delhi deteriorated further on Tuesday as the index slipped into the "very poor" category. However, 18 monitoring stations recorded above 400 air quality index (AQI), putting the concerned areas in the "severe" category.
At 7.15 a.m., the average air quality index (AQI) stood at 395, said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
In 18 areas of the national capital, the AQI level lingered between 400 and above 500.
It was 415 in Alipore, 436 in Anand Vihar, 419 in Ashok Vihar, 403 in Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, 421 in Jahangirpuri, 412 in Major Dhyan Chand Stadium, 409 in Mandir Marg, 440 in Mundka, 413 in Narela, 419 in Nehru Nagar, 412 in Punjabi Bagh, 422 in Shadipur, 432 in Rohini, 424 in Sonia Vihar, 430 in Vivek Vihar, and 422 in Wazirpur.
While in 20 air monitoring stations of Delhi, the AQI level stayed above 300 and between 400. It was 369 in Aya Nagar, 390 in Burari Crossing, 358 in Chandni Chowk, 360 in Mathura Road, 383 in DTU, 397 in Dwarka Sector 8, 368 in Airport, 357 in Dilshad Garden, 382 in ITO, 382 in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, 309 in Lodhi Road, 385 in Najafgarh, 385 in North Campus DU, 392 in Okhla Phase II, 372 in Pusa, 398 in RK Puram, 394 in Siri Fort, and 388 in Sri Aurobindo Marg.
Other major NCR cities also experienced a decline in the AQI levels. The CPCB stated that the average air quality index was 243 in Faridabad, 339 in Gurugram, 287 in Ghaziabad, 332 in Greater Noida, and 294 in Noida.
The AQI between 0 and 50 is "good," between 51 and 100 "satisfactory," between 101 and 200 "moderate," between 201 and 300 "poor," between 301 and 400 "very poor," between 401 and 450 "severe," and above 450 "severe plus", the CPCB said.
The Meteorological Department on said that Delhi had patches of shallow fog with temperatures hovering at around 12 degrees Celsius in the morning.
The Supreme Court refused on Monday to relax the stringent curbs against air pollution under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
GRAP measures involved a truck ban, with the exception of those carrying essential commodities or using clean fuel such as LNG, CNG, BS-VI diesel, or electric, and construction at public projects has been stopped.
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