Delhi fights air pollution after Diwali celebrations as AQI remains in 'very poor' category

New Delhi: After the Diwali celebrations, Delhi woke up to thick layers of smog and haze. The issue persisted on Wednesday as well, two days after people across the national capital and other nearby regions, including Noida and Gurugram, celebrated the festival of lights with fireworks.

The air quality in the Delhi-NCR is still in the 'very poor' category at 345, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) website. Notably, the Supreme Court lifted the ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers this year and allowed people there to burst firecrackers for two hours from 8 pm to 10 pm. However, the celebrations continued well past the allotted time.

On Wednesday morning, 34 out of the total 38 monitoring stations were in the 'red zone', indicating 'very poor' to 'severe' air quality. Two stations - Punjab Bagh and Wazirpur - were in the 'severe zone' with the AQI at 433 and 401, respectively.

Authorities have activated the second stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect. The decision comes as Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) have witnessed a consistent rise in pollution levels over the past week. Stage 2 of GRAP mandates twelve preventive measures aimed at mitigating air pollution. Key among these are stricter enforcement of restrictions on diesel generator sets, limiting the entry of non-electric, non-CNG, and non-BS-VI diesel interstate buses into Delhi, and increasing parking fees to discourage the use of private vehicles.