8 Haryana cities in list of cities with ‘very poor’ air

Haryana has eight cities in the "very poor" air quality list, with Delhi at AQI 396. Stubble burning cases contribute to worsening conditions.

Haryana dominates the list of Indian cities with “very poor” air quality, occupying eight out of 22 spots, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) evening bulletin. Delhi topped the list with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 396, while Bhiwani was the worst in Haryana with an air quality of 365.

A thick layer of smog seen in Gurugram on Friday. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Six of these cities fall under the National Capital Region (NCR) in Haryana.

The worsening air, coupled with the onset of winters, has prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to invoke restrictions under the third stage of the graded response action plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR.

Meanwhile, a whopping 13 cases of stubble burning were recorded in Jind district on Friday along with seven in other places. This takes the total number of fire incidents to 1,055 for this season in the state.