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Delhi chokes on Diwali: Air quality nears ‘severe’ amid Grap curbs | Check AQI today
On Monday morning, the AQI of most of the stations in Delhi was over 300 while that of Anand Vihar was 400-plus, which falls under ‘severe’ category.
Delhi-NCR is ringing in Diwali amid toxic air and anti-pollution curbs under the Stage 2 of the Graded Action Response Plan (Grap 2) that kicked in on Sunday evening as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the capital city entered the "very poor" category and also hit the ‘severe’ level at some monitoring stations.
On Sunday, Diwali eve, Delhi's air quality worsened further late at night, with 24 out of 38 monitoring stations recording pollution levels in the "very poor" category, while Anand Vihar entered the 'severe' zone with AQI readings crossing 400, according to CPCB data cited in a PTI news agency report.
On Monday morning as well, the AQI of most of the stations was over 300 while that of Anand Vihar and Wazirpur was 400-plus.
Delhi AQI
-Delhi AQI today: Based on CPCB readings at 6 am on Monday, October 20, Anand Vihar station recorded the worst AQI at 414 while the best air qulity was logged at the Sri Aurobindo Marg station at 158. Additionally, 29 of the stations were in ‘very poor’ category AQI. At 10 am, Wazirpur had the worst AQI at 419 followed by Anand Vihar at 411, while the best was at Sri Aurobindo Marg (168).
Highlights from AQI data at 10 am on Monday
-Number of stations Above 400 AQI (Severe): 2
-Number of stations in ‘Very Poor’ category (301–400): 27
-Number of stations in ‘Poor’ category (201–300): 6
-Number of stations in ‘Moderate’ or better (0–200): 2
The CPCB categorises an AQI between 0 and 50 under "good" category, 51 to 100 as "satisfactory", 101 to 200 "moderate", 201 to 300 "poor", 301 to 400 "very poor", and 401 to 500 "severe".
-Delhi AQI on Diwali eve: According to the CPCB data, Delhi's AQI at 4 pm on Sunday stood at 296, in the "poor" category. By 10 pm, the AQI worsened to 306, entering the "very poor" category and the red zone.
-Grap 2 kicks in: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) across Delhi-NCR as the city's air quality slipped into the "very poor" category on Sunday. Grap 1 was imposed on October 14. Twelve preventive measures are undertaken to mitigate air pollution under Grap stage 2: Among them, stricter enforcement on restrictions related to diesel generator sets; restricting interstate buses (other than EVs/CNG/BS-VI diesel) from entering Delhi and enhancement of parking fees to discourage use of private transport are key.
-Delhi allowed to burst green firecrackers: The Supreme Court last week permitted the sale and bursting of green firecrackers in Delhi-NCR during Diwali with certain conditions, an impact of which could be seen on the Air Quality Index of the city. The use of green crackers is allowed within specific hours - 6 am to 7 pm and 8 am to 10 pm - on the day before Diwali and on the festival day itself.
-Delhi weather forecast: Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 33.3 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degrees above the season's average, while the minimum temperature settled at 20.6 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD has forecast mist for Monday morning, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 33 degrees Celsius and 21 degrees Celsius, respectively.
