Delhi’s air quality was in the ‘severe’ category in several parts of the city on Saturday, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) stated.
According to the data, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Anand Vihar was at 448, 421 at Jahangirpuri, 435 in Dwarka and 421 at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (T3).
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’. Anything beyond 500 falls under the ‘severe plus’ category.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has constituted 517 surveillance teams comprising 1,119 officers to keep a check on open burning, illegal construction and demolition waste dumping and dust on roads under its winter action plan, an official statement on Friday said.
The zonal officers have been directed to strictly implement the revised GRAP guidelines issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), it said.
On Friday, Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality was in the “severe plus” category. This is the stage in which all emergency measures, including a ban on polluting trucks, commercial four-wheelers, and all types of construction, are mandated in Delhi and its neighbouring areas.
The national capital’s AQI of 468 was the worst since 471 which was recorded on November 12, 2021.
As the dense and pungent haze lingered over Delhi-NCR for the fifth consecutive day, the concentration of PM2.5, fine particulate matter capable of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and triggering health problems, exceeded the safe limit of 60 micrograms per cubic metre by seven to eight times at multiple locations throughout the region.
Meanwhile, the demand for air purifiers and masks has shot up in Delhi-NCR, merchants and pharmacists told news agency PTI.
Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI, recorded at 4 pm each day, was 392 on Thursday, 364 on Wednesday, 359 on Tuesday, 347 on Monday, 325 on Sunday, 304 on Saturday, and 261 on Friday.