(Image source from: Timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
Delhi’s brief relief from dirty air came to an end on Sunday as the air quality fell back into the “very poor” range. The air quality index, or AQI, was noted as 298 in the “poor” category at 8 in the morning, and it worsened to 300 by 11 in the morning. This change happened just two days after strong winds had momentarily improved the pollution levels, based on official figures. On Monday, most areas of the city also showed “poor” to “very poor” air quality, with some regions facing even worse pollution levels, according to the Central Pollution Control Board data reported at 6 in the morning. The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi predicts that the air quality will remain in the “very poor” category for the next few days. The report indicated that air quality is expected to be “very poor” from Monday to Wednesday, and the forecast for the next six days suggests similar conditions.
On Monday, some of the most affected areas included Chandni Chowk, which had an AQI of 343, making it one of the worst spots. Jahangirpuri also showed very poor air with a reading of 326, while Vivek Vihar had an AQI of 321. Other notably polluted areas included Anand Vihar at 323, Nehru Nagar at 329, Rohini at 313, Wazirpur at 313, and IHBAS Dilshad Garden at 310, all showing very unhealthy air quality. Various industrial and residential areas were also marked by high pollution readings. Ashok Vihar and Okhla Phase-2 both had an AQI of 304, while Sirifort measured 306. Areas like Patparganj at 295, Dwarka Sector-8 at 294, Narela at 292, R K Puram at 296, and Sonia Vihar at 298 remained at the higher end of the poor category. The recent improvement in air quality had led the Commission for Air Quality Management to remove stage-3 measures of the Graded Response Action Plan across the National Capital Region on Friday. Even with the air quality dropping back into the “very poor” range on Sunday, stage-3 restrictions were not brought back. However, stage-1 and stage-2 measures of GRAP remained in effect.
In central and southern Delhi, pollution levels were slightly less severe but still alarming. ITO reported an AQI of 260, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium had a reading of 255, and Sri Aurobindo Marg registered 247. North Campus, DU recorded an AQI of 246, while Najafgarh reported 244. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, air quality is considered “moderate” when the AQI is from 101 to 200, “poor” when it is from 201 to 300, and “very poor” when it ranges from 301 to 400. AQI levels above 400 are viewed as “severe”.
