With the onset of winter, air in Delhi has become more toxic, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 385 on Tuesday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. The smog continues to engulf the national capital region including Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad, hitting 'severe' levels of air pollution.
In many places like Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, and Bawana, the AQI has crossed 400. According to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, Burari recorded AQI at 378, Chandni Chowk at 313, Mathura Road at 365. The tremendous increase in air pollution has been attributed to stubble burning, firecrackers bursting during Diwali and pollution caused by transportation.
After Delhi, the most polluted area is Sonipat in Haryana with the AQI at 373. Then follows Rohtak who recorded an AQI at 337, Hisar at 334, Ghaziabad at 329, Noida at 316 in Noida and Faridabad at 312 and Gurugram at 295. For the unversed, the Air Quality Index (AQI) between zero and 50 is considered 'good' and more than 51 and less than 100 is considered 'satisfactory'. The AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'moderate', between 201 and 300 it is considered 'bad', between 301 and 400 it is considered 'very bad' and between 401 and 500 it is considered 'severe'.
The Supreme Court on Monday took cognizance of the ‘severe’ level of air pollution in Delhi recently. The court reprimanded authorities for non-compliance with the firecracker ban in the city during Diwali. The apex body has issued a notice to the Police Commissioner and asked him to file an affidavit and explain why this ban was not implemented as reported by ANI. The court will review the Diwali-related pollution issue again on November 14.
Meanwhile, the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-II) has already been in place in Delhi-NCR after the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi dropped to the "Very Poor" category in October 2024.
