A day after Diwali celebration in the capital city, Delhi woke up to toxic air with the air quality index (AQI) worsening to the ‘severe’ category in most areas on Tuesday, October 21.
The Supreme Court court had allowed the bursting of green firecrackers between 8 pm and 10 pm on the festival day, but the celebrations continued well past the allotted time.
At 7:15 AM, Delhi's overall air quality index (AQI) was recorded to be 'very poor' at 368, with four stations reporting ‘severe’ air quality (above 400).
The air quality was expected to slip into the 'severe' category more widely on Tuesday and Wednesday, promting the enforcement of Stage II (GRAP-2) measures in Delhi-NCR.
On Tuesday, the morning sky was hazy as thick smog engulfed the city, reducing visibility across major stretches.
According to data, the average air quality index (AQI) stood at 451, 1.8x above the national average, as pollution levels worsened amid festive celebrations.
Thirty-six out of 38 monitoring stations recorded pollution levels in the 'red zone', indicating 'very poor' to 'severe' air quality across Delhi.
Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI), which is reported at 4 pm every day, remained in the 'very poor' category at 345, higher than the 326 recorded on Sunday, according to official data.
In the afternoon, 31 out of 38 stations recorded 'very poor' air quality, while three stations fell under the 'severe' zone, data showed.
The CPCB categorises AQI between 0 and 50 as 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe.'
GRAP Stage 2: Do's and Don'ts for citizens
Under GRAP Stage 2, citizens are requested to adhere to the citizen charter and assist in effective implementation of the GRAP measures. These include:
