Delhi tumbles into ‘red zone’ as air pollution levels cross dangerous 400 mark, AQI 'severe'

Delhi has now tumbled into the ‘red zone’ with pollution levels crossing the 400 mark in several parts of the city on Saturday, making the national capital one of the most polluted cities in the country. Since Diwali, the national capital's air quality has consistently remained 'poor' or 'very poor', occasionally slipping into the 'severe' zone.

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI), reported at 4 pm every day, stood at 361 on Saturday, placing Delhi in the 'red zone' and making it the second most polluted city in the country, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Which areas have ‘severe’ AQI?

Several parts of Delhi recorded pollution levels in the 'severe' category.

Monitoring stations reported an AQI of 404 at Alipur, 402 at ITO, 406 at Nehru Nagar, 411 at Vivek Vihar, 420 at Wazirpur, and 418 at Burari, according to the CPCB's Sameer app data from 38 monitoring stations across the capital.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 to 100 "satisfactory", 101 to 200 "moderate", 201 to 300 "poor", 301 to 400 "very poor" and 401 to 500 "severe", as per the CPCB classification.

In the NCR region, Noida recorded an AQI of 354, Greater Noida 336, and Ghaziabad 339, all falling in the 'very poor' category, according to CPCB data.

What was the AQI before?

On Friday, Delhi recorded an AQI of 322, ranking first among the most polluted cities in the country.

According to the Decision Support System (DSS) for air quality forecasting, stubble burning contributed around 30 per cent to Delhi's pollution, while the transport sector accounted for 15.2 per cent on Sunday.

The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi has predicted that the city's air quality will remain in the 'very poor' category over the next few days.

Which are the most polluted cities?

Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida emerged as the most polluted cities in October, while Dharuhera in Haryana topped the chart, according to a study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) released on Tuesday, 4 November.

The air quality in the national capital remained in the ‘very poor’ category over the last few days.

What doctors have said?

Amid rising chatter of the amount of toxic air Delhi is breathing and the severe implications of the same, doctors have sounded warnings about the alarming number of illnesses that have increased due to the pollution.

Earlier, senior pulmonologist Dr Gopi Chand Khilnani advised the Delhi residents, especially the elderly and those with chronic lung disease or chronic heart disease, to leave Delhi for six to eight weeks or relocate, if they can afford.

Many people are currently suffering from various respiratory conditions, including throat irritation, rhinitis, a runny nose, itchy eyes, and severe chest congestion, flooding OPDs at hospitals, doctors have said, as per multiple reports.