Delhi air quality improves to 'severe' category after days of 'severe plus' AQI; GRAP guidelines revised
Visuals from various iconic areas of Delhi including India Gate and Kartavya Path, were seen with people carrying out their morning workouts in smog-filled atmosphere. Photograph:( X )
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The 24-hour average AQI stood at 419 on Wednesday at 4:00 pm, down from 444 on Tuesday, after skyrocketing to nearly 500 in the “severe plus” category earlier on Monday.
The 24-hour average AQI stood at 419 on Wednesday at 4:00 pm, down from 444 on Tuesday, after skyrocketing to nearly 500 in the “severe plus” category earlier on Monday.
After days of persistent deadly smog in Delhi, the air quality ironically improved to the “severe” category on Wednesday (Nov 20). The capital city and its neighbouring areas of Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and other areas of the National Capital Region (NCR) were covered in a thin blanket of smog on Wednesday, increasing visibility marginally compared to previous days.
The 24-hour average AQI stood at 419 on Wednesday at 4:00 pm, down from 444 on Tuesday. It had skyrocketed to nearly 500 in the “severe plus” category earlier on Monday, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) bulletin.
The CPCB said Monday's reading was the second-worst air quality recorded since AQI tracking began in 2015.
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According to the CPCB, the AQI of Delhi's Anand Vihar was (406), Ashok Vihar (416), Bawana (419), Dwarka sector-8 (404), Jahangirpuri (437), Mundka (416), Nehru Nagar(410). Some other places remained in the severe category at 6:00 am on Thursday, November 21.
Visuals from various iconic areas of Delhi including India Gate and Kartavya Path, showed people carrying out their morning workouts in a smog-filled atmosphere.
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Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the Centre's pollution watchdog, on Wednesday revised the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), mandating the closure of schools in Delhi and NCR districts under Stages 3 and 4 of the plan.
Earlier the decision to implement GRAP measures was left to the discretion of the state governments.
In addition to Delhi, the CAQM on Wednesday revised the GRAP, mandating the closure of school districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar as well, under Stages 3 and 4.
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An additional directive under these provisions now requires the state governments to stagger the timings of public offices and municipal bodies in Delhi and the NCR districts.
According to the new order, the decision on office timings remains at the discretion of the respective state governments for other NCR districts.
The AQI in Delhi has been in the severe category since Sunday. On Monday and Tuesday, it escalated to the severe plus category, with readings exceeding 450.
(With inputs from agencies)
