Marginal Relief But No Respite: Delhi’s Air Quality Teeters Near ‘Severe’ with 397 AQI

New Delhi: Delhi continued to grapple with its air pollution crisis on Tuesday morning with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 397 at 7 am, placing the national capital's air in the 'very poor' category. 

According to data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), while there was a marginal improvement compared to Monday morning, when the AQI was in the 'severe' category at 418. 

Several areas in Delhi reported alarmingly high AQI levels. Anand Vihar and Ashok Vihar both recorded AQI readings of 444, while Wazirpur registered 446. Other pollution hotspots included Punjabi Bagh (437), RK Puram (421), Bawana (418), ITO (414), Chandni Chowk (412) and Dwarka Sector 8 (412). All these locations fell in the 'severe' category, indicating extremely poor air quality and heightened health risks. 

As per AQI classification, a reading between 0 and 50 is 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 401 to 500 'severe'. 

Adding to the deteriorating conditions, visibility across the city remained poor due to ongoing cold wave conditions. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported dense fog in the morning hours, with moderate fog at several locations and dense fog at isolated spots. The temperature around 7 am was recorded at approximately 8.2 degrees Celsius. 

With severe pollution, cold wave and dense fog persisting, authorities have urged citizens to limit outdoor activities, follow health advisories, and take precautions against the hazardous air quality. 

Meanwhile, rehearsals for the 77th Republic Day parade are currently underway at Kartavya Path. 

Furthermore, in response to the deteriorating air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Saturday reinvoked Stage-IV measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). 

Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the National Capital Region and adjoining areas has recorded "serious deficiencies" in the implementation of measures prescribed under Stage-III and Stage-IV of the Graded Response Action Plan, following a detailed review of performance reports submitted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) in the NCR. 

According to the Commission, the GRAP Monitoring Control Room, set up to oversee daily compliance, has been continuously tracking actions taken by concerned agencies to curb air pollution. The review of implementation during the two most stringent stages of GRAP revealed wide gaps and persistent non-compliance across multiple parameters, with shortfalls ranging from 7 per cent to as high as 99.6 per cent in several mandated actions. 

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