Delhi-NCR air quality in 'severe' category for second day | Photos, videos

New Delhi: The national capital region woke up to another day of toxic air on Friday as the air quality index stayed in the “severe” category with a reading well above 400­.

The AQI read 471 around 10 am, as per the AQI dashboard, with Mundka recording the level at 498, followed by Bawana at 496. Lodhi Road area was at 438, Jahangirpuri at 491, RK Puram area at 486 and around IGI Airport (T3) 473.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.

For the first time this season, Delhi’s air quality breached the 400­ mark to enter the “severe” category and reached 575 around 7.23 pm on Thursday. The previous high in the season was 412 AQI on 30 October. At least 18 out of 37 monitoring stations in Delhi recorded Air Quality Index (AQI) in the “severe" category.

Also read: Delhi air pollution ‘severe’ as AQI breaches 400 mark due to rise in farm fires

Worst air quality was recorded at Anand Vihar station, Punjabi Bagh station, and Patparganj station which recorded AQI levels of 483, 493 and 480 in the ‘severe’ category, respectively. These stations fared better in terms of air quality yesterday but pushed from poor to severe category today.

Amid the worsening air quality, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday declared the closure of all primary schools until Saturday. 

Invoking Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the city, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has banned non-essential construction activities and imposed restrictions on certain categories of vehicles as a thick layer of pungent haze obscured the national capital's skyline.

The transport department said a fine of ₹20,000 would be imposed on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles. The restrictions on these vehicles will be applicable in the surrounding areas of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar.

Also read: Delhi, NCR Air Pollution LIVE Updates: AQI ‘severe’ as thick smog engulfs NCR, air quality to worsen; schools closed

Stubble-burning incidents in north Indian states, especially in Punjab are adding to the pollution. Smoke from stubble burning accounted for 25 % of the PM2.5 pollution in Delhi on Thursday, which may go up to 35% on Friday, a model-based study by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune revealed.

The Commission for Air Quality Management reported that this year the incidents of stubble burning in both Punjab and Haryana have been lower this year since 15 September, though there was a significant jump in the last few days

Severe air quality was also recorded in areas like Burari with an AQI of 465, Dwarka Sector-8 recorded 370 AQI, Jahangirpuri recorded 491 , Rohini recorded 491 AQI while Wazirpur station recorded an AQI of 491. North Campus station recorded severe air quality with an AQI of 469. ITO station recorded an AQI of 433 which falls in the severe category. Mandir Marg station recorded severe air quality with an AQI of 451. 

The PM2.5 concentration in Delhi reached 282 microgrammes per cubic metre, higher than the limit fixed by the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) air quality guidelines. PM2.5 is fine particulate matter that can penetrate deep into the respiratory system and trigger respiratory problems and its safe limit is 60 microgramme per cubic metre.

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Sector 62, Noida also recorded an AQI of 483 in the ‘severe’ category while Sanjay Nagar in Ghaziabad recorded an AQI of 393 in the ‘very poor’ range according to Uttar Pradesh Central Pollution Control Board (UPPCB).

“Cold temperatures create stable atmospheric conditions, known as temperature inversions, where a layer of warm air traps cooler air near the ground, allowing the accumulation of pollutants,” as per the India Meteorological Department.

Air pollution in Delhi generally peaks during 1-15 November when the stubble burning by farmers of Punjab and Haryana increases after paddy harvest.

(With inputs from PTI)