GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 17th Dec. The national capital’s air quality plunged into the ‘severe’ category on Tuesday morning with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 427, as reported by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The minimum temperature dropped to 5.9 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal.
Out of 35 monitoring stations, 28 recorded air quality in the ‘severe’ range, with some stations exceeding the ‘severe plus’ threshold of AQI 450. The remaining stations reported air quality in the ‘very poor’ category, according to the Sameer app.
An AQI of 400 or above is considered “severe” and poses health risks to both healthy individuals and those with pre-existing medical conditions.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed the worsening air quality to calm winds, which reduced visibility from 800 meters in shallow fog at Palam on Monday to 350 meters in moderate fog at Safdarjung on Tuesday morning. Moderate fog (visibility between 200m and 500m) is predicted to persist over the next two days due to calm or easterly winds.
Humidity levels were recorded at 97% at 8:30 am. The IMD forecasts the maximum and minimum temperatures to settle at 24 degrees Celsius and 5 degrees Celsius, respectively.
In response to the escalating pollution, the Centre’s air quality panel for Delhi-NCR enforced Stage 4 curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Monday. These measures include a ban on construction activities and the entry of non-essential polluting trucks into Delhi. Schools, except for Classes X and XII, have been directed to shift to hybrid learning models.
Stage 4 restrictions were implemented shortly after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) activated Stage 3 measures earlier in the day when Delhi’s AQI exceeded 350. GRAP categorizes air quality into four stages:
- Stage I: Poor (AQI 201-300)
- Stage II: Very Poor (AQI 301-400)
- Stage III: Severe (AQI 401-450)
- Stage IV: Severe Plus (AQI above 450).
The situation calls for urgent mitigation efforts to address the impact on public health and the environment.
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