Delhi’s air quality plummeted to the ‘severe’ category on Friday morning, after continuing to remain ‘very poor’ for six consecutive days until Thursday. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 401 at 8 AM.
Many areas reported AQI above 400 on Friday morning with the worsening air quality. The areas like Anand Vihar, RK Puram, and Alipur recorded AQI levels of 418, 424 and 434, respectively. The situation is particularly dire in Bawana, where the AQI reached a hazardous 456. Dwarka Sector 8 and IGI T3 recorded AQI levels of 399 and 391, respectively.
In neighbouring Noida, several places recorded ‘very poor’ air quality. In Noida Sector 125 the AQI stood at 353, Sector 62 at 367, Sector 1 at 341, and Sector 116 at 31.
The 24-hour average AQI, recorded at 4 pm daily, saw a consistent rise over the past week, reaching 390 on Thursday, 394 on Wednesday, 365 on Tuesday, 348 on Monday, and 301 on Sunday.
Delhi’s Environment Minister, Gopal Rai, stated that experts anticipate an improvement in air quality over the next two to three days. However, he emphasised that the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) III regulations will persist, including the ban on BS 3 petrol and BS 4 diesel vehicles.
“Under GRAP III, BS 3 petrol and BS 4 diesel vehicles are still banned. Scientists are saying that the air quality will improve in the coming 2-3 days. As per the present conditions, it was decided that GRAP III regulations will continue in Delhi for now,” Rai was quoted as saying by PTI.
The minister warned that if air quality deteriorates in the future, and GRAP IV is invoked again, stricter measures could be implemented, including a ban on certain vehicles entering the national capital.
As the air quality marginally improved in the national capital last week, the ban on construction work pertaining to linear public projects in Delhi-NCR and the entry of polluting trucks and commercial four-wheelers into the city under GRAP-IV were lifted.
GRAP IV is the final stage of the Graded Response Action Plan, activated at least three days before the AQI surpasses the 450 mark in the city.
(Edited by : Vivek Dubey)
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