Delhi’s air quality has dipped back into the ‘poor’ category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 233 on Saturday morning. A thick layer of smog has enveloped the capital, a situation that has persisted since Diwali, keeping AQI levels consistently in the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ ranges across many areas.
While Friday saw a slight improvement with an AQI of 268 (categorized as ‘poor’), Thursday recorded a concerning 373, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category. For context, an AQI between 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’, and 401-500 ‘severe’.
Most monitoring stations in Delhi reported AQI levels below 300 on Saturday. However, Wazirpur was an exception, registering an AQI of 323, which falls under the ‘very poor’ classification. Other areas like Anand Vihar, Burari Crossing, Chandni Chowk, Jahangirpuri, Patparganj, RK Puram, and Rohini also experienced ‘poor’ air quality. Meanwhile, stations in Aya Nagar, DTU, IGI Airport (T3), Lodhi Road, Mandir Marg, Pusa, and Sri Aurobindo Marg indicated ‘moderate’ air quality.
In response to the deteriorating air quality, Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) remains active. This has led to measures such as doubling parking fees across the city, as announced by the New Delhi Municipal Council. Additionally, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has banned the entry of commercial goods vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet BS-III standards or lower, effective from Saturday.
Adding to the environmental challenges, Delhi’s cloud seeding trials have been put on hold due to insufficient moisture in the clouds, following unsuccessful attempts earlier in the week.