Delhi’s air quality was on the brink of the “severe” category again on Tuesday a day after it briefly improved to the “poor” range as winds continued to remain calm leading to a gradual deterioration in pollution. An Air Quality Index (AQI) of 394 (very poor) was recorded at 8am. The 24-hour average AQI was 285 (poor) at 9am on Monday. By 4 pm, it deteriorated to 349 (very poor) and 377 by 7pm, and 391 by 10pm.
An AQI of 318 (very poor) was recorded at 4pm on Sunday and 412 (severe) on Saturday. The last time Delhi’s AQI was below 300 was on October 29. It was 268 that day.
The wind speeds remained below six kilometres per hour throughout Monday, leading to stagnation and gradual build-up of local pollutants. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on the same day made changes to the clauses in Stages 3 and 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) regarding educational institutes allowing them to be run on hybrid mode instead of only online.
The CAQM said it had noted the concerns of schools and the Supreme Court. It added it was not feasible for all schools to run just online. The CAQM said state governments in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Delhi shall ensure that all classes are conducted in a hybrid and also in an online mode wherever that is feasible in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar.
The CAQM said the option to exercise the online mode of education, wherever available, will vest with the students and their guardians.
{{/usCountry}}The CAQM said the option to exercise the online mode of education, wherever available, will vest with the students and their guardians.
{{/usCountry}}Wind speeds were expected to pick up marginally during the day on Tuesday but they are not expected to be strong, thus largely keeping pollutants trapped. The AQI was expected to remain “very poor” until Wednesday before touching “severe” by Thursday.
Seventeen out of 39 stations recorded “severe” AQI at 8am and the rest “very poor” on Tuesday. The highest AQI of 438 was recorded in East Delhi’s Anand Vihar, followed by 430 at Rohini.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is classified as “good”, 51 and 100 as “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 as “moderate”, 201 and 300 as “poor”, 301 and 400 as “very poor”, and over 400 as “severe”.
Delhi has recorded eight severe air days this season with the worst being 494 on November 18, the joint second-worst ever in history.