Delhi air quality enters very poor category as AQI reaches 350
The national capital's average air quality index hit 350 on Tuesday, with Jahangirpuri recording a severe reading of 452.
Air quality in Delhi worsened to the very poor category on Tuesday, with the citywide average Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 350 by 4 pm, according to reports by Scroll and Urban Acres.
The deterioration follows a three-day rise in pollution levels, with the average AQI standing at 261 on 1 November and 324 on 2 November. In northwestern Delhi, Jahangirpuri recorded a severe AQI of 452, while 10 monitoring stations reported readings above 400.
The contribution of crop burning to PM2.5 is expected to rise, with estimates moving from 15.301 per cent on 3 November to a forecast of 22.207 per cent on 5 November. Between 15 September and 2 November, 3,535 farm-fire incidents were recorded across covered states and Union territories, with Punjab accounting for 1,612 cases.
In the surrounding regions, Noida recorded a very poor AQI of 308, while Greater Noida and Ghaziabad were in the poor category at 267 and 276 respectively. Gurugram recorded an average AQI of 225, while Faridabad recorded 118, which is in the moderate category.
Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa stated in a social media post that more than 1,500 non-Delhi vehicles below Bharat Stage-6 emission norms were turned back on Sunday. He added that authorities collected Rs 68.4 lakh in penalties and environmental compensation after checking 15,000 vehicles.