A thick haze enveloped Delhi on Tuesday morning as air quality in the national capital deteriorated further, reaching a concerning Air Quality Index (AQI) of 331, classified as ‘very poor’. This escalation in pollution comes just ahead of the Diwali festival, raising alarms about public health and environmental conditions.
Monday saw Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI at 324, marking the worst air quality since 271 days prior. This figure had climbed from 261 on Sunday, a stark contrast to the AQI of 60 recorded on Friday. Among the 58 operational air quality monitoring stations in the city, eight recorded ‘severe’ pollution levels, notably in areas such as Bawana, Narela, and Punjabi Bagh. In contrast, only the monitoring station at IGNOU in Maidangarhi reported ‘moderate’ air quality.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) identified PM2.5 as the predominant pollutant at 53 of these stations, while PM10 was the main concern at the remaining five. Contributing to Delhi’s pollution woes, satellite data recorded 1,561 farm fires across Punjab and Haryana from October 1 to November 2, with Punjab accounting for 1,406 incidents and Haryana 155. On November 2 alone, 167 fires were detected.
In response to the worsening air quality, authorities have enforced Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). These measures include staggered office hours for government and municipal employees in Delhi and surrounding areas like Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar. Additionally, there are directives to increase parking fees to discourage the use of private vehicles.
To mitigate open burning, resident welfare associations have been encouraged to provide electric heaters to security personnel during colder hours. These steps aim to curb the pollution levels as the region braces for the potential impacts of the upcoming Diwali celebrations.