Delhi govt halts outdoor activities, sports as AQI still ‘very poor’

The Delhi government’s order comes as pollution levels surged once again into the upper end of the “very poor” category, with several neighbourhoods slipping into “severe”

Citing rapidly deteriorating air quality and an advisory from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the Delhi government on Thursday ordered all schools, colleges, universities, civic bodies and recognised sports associations to immediately postpone physical sports competitions scheduled for November and December.

The sun is barely visible in the thick morning haze on Friday. (Sunil Ghosh /HT Photo)

In a circular issued on November 20, the Directorate of Education and Sports directed institutions across the Capital, including those under the DoE, MCD, NDMC and the Delhi Cantonment Board, to ensure strict compliance with CAQM’s instructions until further orders.

The CAQM, in its advisory on November 19, said NCR governments must take “immediate and appropriate action” to postpone sporting events in view of prevailing pollution trends. “Such physical sport competitions… may be postponed,” the commission stated, noting that prolonged physical activity in high particulate loads poses serious health risks to children and athletes.

The Delhi government’s order comes as pollution levels surged once again into the upper end of the “very poor” category, with several neighbourhoods slipping into “severe”. On Friday, the Capital woke to a hazy morning under stagnant wind conditions. Delhi’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI), according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily bulletin, stood at 364, firmly in the “very poor” band and inching close to the “severe” threshold of over 400.

Although slightly lower than Thursday evening’s reading of 391, officials attributed the marginal improvement to wind speeds briefly rising to around 12 km/hour overnight.

The relief was uneven. Data from Delhi’s 38 monitoring stations showed 11 locations in the “severe” category on Friday evening. They included Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, DTU, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Narela, Nehru Nagar, Rohini, Vivek Vihar and Wazirpur — all with AQI levels above 400. In contrast, four stations, IGI Airport, IHBAS in Dilshad Garden, Lodhi Road and Mandir Marg, stayed in the “poor” category with readings below 300. In some areas, AQI values differed by more than 100 points within just a few kilometres.

Delhi continues under Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), prompting wide-ranging curbs including a suspension of non-essential construction and demolition, restrictions on certain vehicle categories such as pre-BS-IV models, and advisories urging people to avoid outdoor activity in the early mornings and late evenings.

Alongside these restrictions, the Delhi government has intensified its Winter Action Plan enforcement, especially targeting dust pollution from road-cutting and construction sites. Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday warned that violations of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s (DPCC) dust mitigation rules would attract penalties of up to ₹5 lakh.

“Road-cutting and construction dust remain significant contributors to PM2.5 levels. Compliance with DPCC’s dust mitigation guidelines is non-negotiable. Nearly 2,000 enforcement personnel are on the ground to ensure real-time monitoring. Any breach will invite prompt action. We expect full cooperation from every agency involved in road work,” Sirsa said.

The DPCC guidelines require 2-metre-high dust barriers on stretches wider than 18 metres, regular sprinkling of water on loose soil, covered storage of construction material, PUC-certified and fully covered vehicles, safety gear for workers and clear signage displaying restoration timelines. Agencies must also use tarpaulins or green nets to prevent dust dispersion.

Officials said enforcement teams have paired anti-dust checks with welfare measures to curb biomass burning. A total of 305 community kitchens now provide hot meals to more than 5,000 workers, truck drivers and labourers across the city. Mechanical sweeping covers nearly 3,000 km of roads daily, and border checkpoints continue to block the entry of polluting trucks.

DPCC data shows that in the past 24 hours, authorities inspected 331 small construction sites and 510 spots suspected of illegal dumping, issuing action orders in all cases. Enforcement teams received 50 complaints of municipal or biomass waste burning, and traffic units penalised 3,108 vehicles for lacking valid PUC certificates. More than 50 construction projects have been shut this season for dust violations, officials said.

Meanwhile, winter conditions tightened their grip. Safdarjung, Delhi’s base weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 11.2°C on Friday, which was 1.1 degrees below normal and slightly lower than Thursday. The maximum was 28.2°C, around 0.4 degrees above normal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast mainly clear skies with shallow morning fog over the next few days, with minimum temperatures expected between 9°C and 11°C and daytime highs around 26°C to 28°C.