No relief from pollution, Delhi's air quality remains 'very poor'

Pic/AFP

Delhiites woke up to toxic air on Wednesday morning as the air quality continued to be in the "very poor" category.

While the Air Quality Index at 9 am dropped marginally to 356, four stations -- Bawana, Mundka, Wazirpur, and NSIT Dwarka -- reported air quality in the "severe" category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

For the past two days, Delhi's AQI has been recorded at the higher end of the "very poor" range, with a reading of 373 at 9 am on Monday and 384 on Tuesday.

According to AQI classifications, a 0-50 range is considered "good," 51-100 "satisfactory," 101-200 "moderate," 201-300 "poor," 301-400 "very poor," and 401-500 "severe".

Clear skies are expected over the city, with smog during the day and mist at night, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Meanwhile, the minimum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 17.1 degrees Celsius, two notches warmer than usual. The humidity level at 8:30 am stood at 98 per cent.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded at 358 as of 8 am today.

Alipur recorded an AQI of 372, Bawana at 412, Dwarka Sector 8 at 355, Mundka at 419, Najafgarh at 354, New Moti Bagh at 381, Rohini at 401, Punjabi Bagh at 388 and RK Puram at 373, as per CPCB.

All these areas reported very poor air quality levels, posing significant health risks.

A thick toxic foam was seen floating on the Yamuna River in Kalindi Kunj, as the pollution level in the river remains high.

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Delhi government as to how the ban on bursting firecrackers in the national capital to curb air pollution was flouted during Diwali celebrations.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih asked the Delhi government to file an affidavit on the steps taken to ensure that pollution is tackled and to enforce the firecracker ban in the city.

The bench observed that there are widespread reports in newspapers that the ban on firecrackers was not implemented and said it wanted the Delhi government to immediately respond why the firecracker ban was hardly implemented.

It further directed the Delhi government and the Police Commissioner of Delhi to file affidavits highlighting what steps they propose to take so that this thing does not happen next year.

During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Archana Pathak Dave also told the bench that there was absolute non-compliance with firecracker restrictions during Diwali this year and added that there is a report suggesting a huge increase in air pollution on the day of Diwali, with the pollution percentage rising from 10 per cent to 27 per cent.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)