Delhi air quality reaches hazardous levels ahead of Diwali
The city's overall Air Quality Index rose to 451 on Tuesday morning as several areas entered the severe category.
Air pollution in Delhi worsened ahead of Diwali, with the city's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 451 at 8 am on Tuesday, according to reports by ANI and BusinessLine.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data indicated that the AQI level signifies hazardous air quality. Several monitoring stations recorded levels in the severe category, including Rohini at 429, Punjabi Bagh at 424, and Bawana at 408.
Other areas experienced very poor air quality, with Patparganj at 379, R K Puram at 374, ITO at 373, and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at 355. Okhla Phase-2 and Chandni Chowk both recorded an AQI of 352, while Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) was at 328.
Relatively lower pollution levels were recorded in some parts of the capital, such as Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport's Terminal 3 at 287, Anand Vihar at 279, Uttam Nagar at 274, and IMD Lodhi Road at 226.
On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage-II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the National Capital Region (NCR) with immediate effect. This follows a spike in pollution levels.
Municipal corporations and traffic police in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan have been directed to enforce stringent actions, including daily mechanical sweeping and water sprinkling on heavy-traffic corridors and inspections at construction sites.