 "Hazy Friday morning in Delhi, AQI dips to 'severe' in various parts of city")
Delhi woke up to a hazy morning on Friday as its air quality worsened further. The city's overall air quality index (AQI), at 392, continues to stay in the "very poor" category, but parts of the national capital breached the 400-mark into the "severe" category. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the highest AQI in Delhi, at 498, was recorded in Mundka.
The AQI in the Lodhi Road area was recorded at 438, in Jahangirpuri at 491, in the R K Puram area and Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport (T3) at 486 and 473, respectively.
Delhi air pollution today: How is the air quality in the NCR region?
In most cities around Delhi, the AQI was in the "very poor" category. Faridabad's AQI was 368 and 351 in Noida. Sonipat's AQI was 374. However, Greater Noida's AQI was "severe" at 402. Gurugram's AQI was 297.
Which city has the worst AQI in India?
The worst air quality in India was recorded in Hanumangarh at 438. It has been at the top of the list for several days now. Hanumangarh was followed by Fatehabad (423), Hisar (414) and Jind (413). Rohtak was also one of the most polluted cities in the country, with an AQI of 388.
More From This Section
What is the Delhi government doing to curb pollution?
On Thursday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) in the national capital. The state government has ordered all the government and private primary schools to remain shut for the next two days. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took to X and wrote, "In light of the rising pollution levels, all govt and private primary schools in Delhi will remain closed for the next two days".
The Delhi government has banned construction activities in the entire NCR. However, exemptions have been made for the projects for railway services, metro services, airports, inter-state bus terminals, defence-related activities, healthcare-related activities, etc.
The Delhi government will also intensify the frequency of mechanised sweeping of roads and ensure daily water-sprinkling along with dust suppressants.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai also said that a meeting of the concerned department would be held on Friday at 12 PM to discuss the implementation of the Grap stage III. "A meeting of all the concerned departments has been called on Friday at 12:00 PM to discuss the effective implementation of stage III of Grap," Rai said.
What is AQI?
The air quality index shows the air quality status of people. There are six AQI categories, namely good, satisfactory, moderately polluted, poor, very poor, and severe.
Each of these categories is decided based on the ambient concentration values of air pollutants and their likely health impacts (known as health breakpoints). According to the AQI scale, the air quality check between 0 and 50 is "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 450 "severe".
What is Grap?
The Centre's Pollution Control Board (PCB) has devised a Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) to contain worsening pollution in the national capital. As the name suggests, it is a graded response measure employed depending on the severity of the air quality. It has four different sets of response stages.
Under Stage I, construction and demolition activities on a plot size of or above 500 square meters are prohibited. Restaurants and hotels are directed to stop using coal and firewood in tandoors. Moreover, the government has begun automated cleaning of the roads for dust management. It is brought into effect when AQI is "poor".
Under Stage II, the parking fees are hiked to penalise the usage of private vehicles. To encourage usage of public transport, the frequency of local buses and Metro is increased. It is initiated when AQI is "very poor".
Under Stage III, BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers are prohibited from entering Delhi-NCR, in addition to other measures. Moreover, all construction activities, except government projects, are stopped. The entry of commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi is prohibited in the capital. This stage is activated when AQI is "severe". Currently, this stage has been imposed in the national capital.
Under Stage IV, all construction and demolition activity, government or private, is completely banned. Online classes and provisions for remote work are made. The government starts this stage when the pollution levels are "severe-plus".
(With agency inputs)