Delhi records AQI above 400 for yet another day, blanket of haze envelopes capital
Delhi-NCR is facing severe pollution levels this winter season. The AQI in Delhi was recorded at Anand Vihar, where it had reached 441 at 7 this morning. Pollution is also impacting neighbouring Ghaziabad and Noida. While Noida recorded an AQI of 396, in Ghaziabad it was 432. The air quality continues to be poor despite GRAP-3 measures being enforced by the government.
New Delhi: Air Quality in Delhi continued to remain poor on Monday morning. The average AQI in most places in the national capital and the surrounding NCR remained above 400. Similar conditions prevailed in neighbouring Ghaziabad and Noida.
Haze engulfs Delhi-NCR
Different monitoring stations across Delhi-NCR recorded the Air Quality Index (AQI) as being in the severe category. The worst air quality was recorded in Anand Vihar, where it was 441 at 7 am on Monday morning. Following closely behind was the Bawana area in north Delhi, where AQI had reached 437. This was worse than what was recorded on Saturday morning at the same time.
AQi remained in the severe category in both Anand Vihar and Bawana, showed the figures from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). A layer of smog could be seen in Ghazipur and neighbouring areas, due to the pollution.
Chandni Chowk monitoring station recorded a bit better air. Here the AQI was 389, but it still was in the 'very poor' category. The Dwarka Sector 8 air monitoring station, once again recorded "severe" pollution levels. Here the AQI was at 402 on Monday morning. In Central Delhi, AQI was a bot better, with the Lodhi Road monitoring station putting AQI at 358. Najafgarh station recorded an AQI just one point higher than the Lodhi Road monitoring station. It was 359.
The air quality was bad in neighbouring Noida and Greater Noida as well. AQI at 7 am in Noida was recorded at 396, which was on the brink of severe category. In Greater Noida the quality of air was even worse. It recorded an AQI of 399 at 7 am this morning. Ghaziabad recorded an AQI of 432, putting it in the 'severe' category.
The AQI in Delhi-NCR continues to fall, despite the implementation of GRAP-3 measures. Though the government has not declared GRAP-4 in Delhi-NCR so far, all measures under GRAP-4 are being implemented in the city. State government offices have been directed to call only 50% employees to office and gove work from home to the others.
Each year Delhi and neighbouring Noida and Ghaziabad are engulfed in smog and pollution during this time of the year. The reason is often said to be pollution during Diwali and burning of crops in Haryana and Punjab. This year, people have taken to the streets to protest the poor air quality in the national capital, and there have been cases of violent protests and skirmishes between protestors and the police force, at least twice.