E-Paper
Delhi’s air quality deteriorates close to ‘severe’ zone
Out of the city’s 39 ambient air quality monitoring stations, 20 recorded “severe” air quality with Wazirpur having the worst AQI (476), followed by Jahangirpuri (451)
A thick haze engulfed Delhi and lowered visibility as the air quality deteriorated close to the “severe” category on Thursday, with calm winds and low temperatures leading to stagnation and accumulation of pollutants.
A 24-hour average air quality Index (AQI) of 399 was recorded at 8am, compared to 392 at 4pm on Wednesday and 374 on Tuesday. The minimum temperature of 11.4°C was a degree below normal. It was 10.2°C a day earlier.
Out of the city’s 39 ambient air quality monitoring stations, 20 recorded “severe” air quality. Wazirpur had the worst air quality (476), followed by Jahangirpuri (451). The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s AQI maxes out at 500.
The Air Quality Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi said the AQI is likely to stay “very poor” on Thursday and Friday and deteriorate to “severe” over the weekend as meteorological conditions largely remain unfavourable.
“The outlook for the subsequent six days from November 23 onwards shows the air quality is likely to be between ‘severe’ and ‘very poor’ categories,” said EWS in its daily bulletin.
On Wednesday, Ghaziabad recorded the worst air quality in the country, with an AQI of 422. Greater Noida followed with an AQI of 420, and Noida 409. Delhi was the fourth most polluted city in the country.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed major revisions to the Graded Response Action Plan as part of short-term measures the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) proposed in response to the winter pollution crisis.
The changes shift stricter measures to earlier stages, with some stage 4 advisories (when AQI is above 450) now applying at stage 3 (AQI 401-450), stage 3 measures at stage 2 (AQI 301-400), and stage 2 directives at stage 1 (AQI 201-300).
The court said any proactive action in reducing air pollution would always be welcome. It asked CAQM to consider directing schools in the Delhi-National Capital Region to postpone open-air sports competitions in November and December to “safer months”, keeping in mind air pollution levels.
In compliance, the CAQM wrote to the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh to take immediate action to ensure that sports competitions may be postponed, keeping in view the air quality trends.
