Delhi air quality deteriorated on Tuesday, with the air quality index rising to 396 and sliding into the “very poor” category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, multiple air monitoring stations reported an air quality index of 400 or higher, categorizing it as “severe”. At 7 a.m., the AQI in Delhi’s Anand Vihar was 436, while in Ashok Vihar it had risen to 419, according to statistics from the Sameer app.
An AQI of 0 to 50 is deemed “good,” 51-100 “satisfactory,” 101-200 “moderate,” 201-300 “poor,” 301-400 “extremely dire,” 401-450 “severe,” and more than 450 “severe plus.” The humidity level of 96% contributed to the air’s sharpness.
The Supreme Court declined to relax the Graded Response Action Plan’s Stage 4 pollution limitations. These restrictions include a ban on truck access, except for those carrying critical commodities or using clean fuel such as LNG, CNG, BS-VI diesel, or electricity. Non-essential light commercial vehicles parked outside Delhi are also not permitted unless they are electric, CNG, or BS-VI diesel. Construction on public projects has been halted completely.
Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) recommended on Monday that all lessons up to grade 12 be held in a hybrid format that combines physical and online components. Following this, the Delhi Government’s Directorate of Education directed all schools in the city to follow the directive.
online mode is feasible in the territorial jurisdiction of the NCT of the capital of Delhi and the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Na Gar in the NCR,” the order said, according to news agency ANI.
On Sunday, Delhi’s air quality improved somewhat, with the 24-hour average AQI recorded at 349, the first time in weeks that it moved into the “very poor” category. For the majority of November, Delhi’s air quality was rated “very poor” for 18 days, “severe” for six days, and “severe plus” for two days.