 "Delhi Pollution, delhi AQI")
The air quality in the national capital on Monday morning was recorded as "very poor", with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 306 against 302 recorded on Sunday afternoon, according to data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar).
The overall air quality in New Delhi deteriorated from the "poor" category to the "very poor" category on Sunday afternoon, with the AQI at 302. On Sunday morning, the overall air quality was recorded as "poor", with an AQI of 266 against 173 recorded on Saturday.
The air quality around Delhi University was recorded at 330 (very poor) at noon, while IGI Terminal T3 in New Delhi was at 313 against 276 in the Sunday morning hours.
According to the Safar, the air quality in Kartavya Path at India Gate was recorded at 266 on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, Noida recorded an AQI of 290 (poor) and Gurugram 152 (moderate). Anand Vihar breached the very poor category in New Delhi with an AQI of 345, IT0 with an AQI of 309, New Moti Bagh with an AQI of 360, Dwarka Sector-8 recorded an AQI of 313.
How does Delhi's AQI compare with that of Mumbai?
Mumbai's AQI is relatively lower than New Delhi's, but in some parts of the city, it is higher than the national capital. According to a report by Indian Express, Andheri East recorded AQI levels between 350 and 440 between October 16 and 20. On Sunday, however, it showed a marked improvement with AQI 119.
The overall AQI was 172 in Mumbai on Sunday on the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) dashboard. The AQI at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) was 243, followed by 238 in Colaba, 219 in Sion and Deonar, 216 in Kherwadi and 202 in Worli.
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How is AQI rated in India?
The Air Quality Index is a tool to check the air quality status of people in terms that are easy to understand. 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", 401 and 450 "severe" and over 450 as "severe plus".
Grap measures: How does the government deal with rising pollution?
The Centre's Pollution Control Board (PCB) had earlier come up with its Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) measures to deal with air pollution.
On October 21, the Delhi government activated Grap's Stage II measures to curb the pollution.
Under Stage I measures, construction and demolition activities on a plot size of or above 500 square meters are halted. The restaurants and hotels are directed to stop using coal and firewood in tandoors. Moreover, the government undertakes automated cleaning of the roads for dust management. It is activated when AQI is "poor".
Under Stage II, the parking fees are hiked to reduce the usage of private vehicles. To tackle the high number of daily commuters, 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 halted. The entry of commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi is prohibited in the capital. This stage is activated when AQI is "severe".
Under Stage IV, all construction and demolition activity is banned. The authorities are asked to devise a plan for online classes for schools and remote work for the offices. The government kicks off this stage when the pollution levels are "severe-plus".
(With agency inputs)
