A layer of smog enveloped the Delhi-NCR on Wednesday morning as the air quality index remained 'very poor'.
The AQI was recorded at 349, as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).
The pollution levels remained grim despite the Commission for Air Quality Management invoking stage two of the anti-pollution plan GRAP.
According to real-time data released by the SAFAR, the AQI of Delhi at 8 a.m. was recorded at 354, under the 'very poor' category.
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 worst-affected area remained the Jahangirpuri area in the national capital, where the AQI was at 417, as per SAFAR data. At Anand Vihar, the AQI went to 402.
The air quality continued to remain 'very poor' at locations like Alipur, Ashok Vihar, Aya Nagar, Bawana, Burari, Dwarka, IGI Airport (T3), Mundka, Narela, Okhla, Patparganj, Punjabi Bagh, Rohini, RK Puram, Vivek Vihar, Shadipur, Sonia Vihar, Wazirpur among others.
On Tuesday too, the 24-hour AQI was 327, or very poor, at 4 p.m. in the national capital, up from 310, which was very poor, a day earlier, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's daily official bulletin.
The higher the value of the AQI, the more polluting the air is.
Heavily polluted national capital air triggered the authorities to enforce Grap Stage 2 or the Graded Response Action Plan on Tuesday.
Banning coal and firewood, including in hotels, restaurants, and open eateries and diesel generator sets except for emergency and essential services fell under the second stage of the Graded Response Action Plan.
GRAP is an abbreviation for Graded Response Action Plan, which might have been taken considering how severely the situation has gone wrong.
Delhi-NCR is witnessing increasing levels of pollution as the national capital rounds off its winter season and the smog season approaches.
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