Delhi pollution: Air quality nears 'poor' level in Delhi-NCR, AQI at 302; schools to operate in....

The air quality in Delhi continued in the “very poor” category, with the Air Quality Index(AQI) at 302 at 6 am on Thursday, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research. There has been a marginal improvement in the air quality as on Wednesday, the AQI dropped was 312. 

As recorded by the Central Pollution Control Board at 6 am, the AQI of Anand Vihar was at 357, Ashok Vihar at 318, Bawana at 341, Burari Crossing at 320, Jahangirpuri at 354, Chandni Chowk at 293, Dwarka Sector 8 at 332, IGI airport at 301, ITO at 284, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at 267, Lodhi Road at 261, Mundka at 364, Narela at 312, Nehru Nagar at 331, Patparganj at 325, Punjab Bagh at 311, Pusa at 281, RK Puram at 310, Rohini at 317, Shadipur at 351, Vivek Vihar at 328, and Wazirpur at 330. 

The national capital regions including Faridabad (176), Gurugram (221), Ghaziabad(260), Greater Noida (227) and Noida (282) have air quality in the ‘moderate’ to ‘poor category’. For those unaware, AQI between 0 and 50 as ‘good’, between 51 and 100 as ‘satisfactory’, between 101 and 200 as ‘moderate’, between 201 and 300 as ‘poor’, between 301 and 400 as ‘very poor’, and over 400 as ‘severe’.

Following the Supreme Court’s directives, the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM), mandated a hybrid mode for educational institutions in Delhi-NCR. With increasing air pollution, the authorities imposed the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-IV in Delhi after the air quality index (AQI) plunged to the ‘severe plus’ category over the past few weeks. Under the restrictions, there is a ban on truck entry and a temporary halt on construction at public projects.

Meanwhile, air pollution in Delhi has led to a rise in the admission of patients suffering from pollution-related ailments in hospitals. The concentration of particulate matter in Delhi’s air is not only causing respiratory distress in individuals but also impacting their bodies as a whole.