Delhi air quality reaches very poor category
The national capital recorded an average Air Quality Index of 307 on Monday as pollution levels worsened.
The air quality in Delhi worsened to the very poor level on Monday, according to Scroll. As of 7.05 am, the national capital recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 307, based on data from the Sameer application provided by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Thirty-seven of the 58 active monitoring stations reported very poor or worse air quality. Jahangirpuri in northwestern Delhi recorded the highest AQI at 417, which was the highest in the capital since February.
In the surrounding regions, Noida recorded a very poor AQI of 308, while Greater Noida was at 267 and Ghaziabad was at 276. In Haryana, Gurugram recorded an average AQI of 225, while Faridabad recorded 118, which is in the moderate category.
The deterioration comes as new rules under the Delhi government’s Winter Action Plan began on Sunday. These measures, which stay in place until February 28, include restrictions on non-Delhi vehicles below Bharat Stage-6 emission norms entering the capital until January 31.
Delhi minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa stated in a social media post that more than 1,500 such vehicles were turned back on Sunday. Sirsa added that authorities collected Rs 68.4 lakh in penalties and environmental compensation after checking 15,000 vehicles.