Air in national capital remained in the 'very poor' category with the reading of Air Quality Index being 409 on Monday. Air quality in neighboring states Haryana and Uttar Pradesh also remained a matter of concern on Monday.
The average Air Quality Index in Delhi remained at 347 till 7:30 A.M. on Monday, said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Other cities in the Delhi-NCR region had AQI levels of 165 in Faridabad of Haryana, 302 in Gurugram, and 242 in Ghaziabad of Uttar Pradesh, 300 in Greater Noida, and 237 in Noida.
The pollution hotspots in the city where the AQI remains above the city's average showed only slight improvement from Sunday but are still nowhere close to the safe margins.
Delhi's Jahangirpuri recorded the highest AQI at 409. At most places in the national Capital, the AQI levels were reported to be between 300 and 400, while at some places, it even crossed 400.
There are quite a number of places in the National Capital that are recording really hazardous AQI levels. At Anand Vihar, for instance, it was 378, Alipur recorded 397 while Ashok Vihar recorded 389. Bawana recorded the highest in the city at 400, while Burari Crossing came at 352 and Mathura Road has its recording up at 316. Other affected places include Dwarka Sector 8 at 356, Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range at 344 and IGI Airport at 336.
ITO, Lodhi Road, and Major Dhyan Chand Stadium also reported AQI values over 300. Besides, areas like Mundka, Narela, and North Campus at Delhi University recorded AQI values between 352 and 363. The overall condition is still alarming, so it would require residents to take precautions to minimize exposure.
To reduce the persistently increasing pollution levels, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has undertaken several measures to abate pollution and has Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in place.
Severe punishment is meted out to polluting construction sites, vehicles, and industries, and road dust control measures are in place with around 600 mechanical road sweeping machines, water sprinklers, and anti-smog guns spread across NCR.
With Delhi-NCR continuing its miserable run of deteriorating air quality with winter over the horizon, the month-long anti-open burning campaign began in the national capital on November 6.
The decision comes after a review meeting of the Winter Action Plan between Environment Minister Gopal Rai and all stakeholders and officials concerned. The AAP is the ruling party in Delhi.
In order to strictly enforce the month-long anti-open burning campaign continuing till December 6, as many as 588 patrolling teams will be used for checking pollution, inspecting construction sites and creating awareness among farmers to prevent stubble burning.
Nextly, the government departments, Resident Welfare Associations, and construction agencies have been directed to supply electric heaters to security guards to reduce the burning of biomass openly during the winter season. Delhi government appealed the neighboring states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana also to tighten their measures on pollution control since the positive effect will be felt more when everyone works together.
Recently, the Delhi Government came out with an all-out 21-point Winter Action Plan to tackle pollution in the national Capital. The 14-point plan last year has been firmed up into a more comprehensive 21-point strategy to eliminate the menace of air pollution, including emergency measures such as drone monitoring, anti-dust campaigns, road-sweeping machines, etc.
Read also| Delhi-NCR AQI Approaches 'Severe' Levels, Average Stands at 362
Read also| Delhi-NCR Air Quality Remains Hazardous with 'Severe' Pollution Levels in Multiple Areas
