Delhi AQI: Capital City Continues To Choke With 'Poor' Levels Of Air Pollution

New Delhi: The national capital persisted in experiencing harmful air, with the poor Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi designated as 'poor' on Tuesday. As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the average AQI for Delhi-NCR reached 274 points by 7:30 a.m.

In eight locations across the city, the AQI value stayed between 300 and over 400 -- 305 in Bawana, 307 in Jahangirpuri, 325 in Mundka, 304 in Nehru Nagar, 303 in RK Puram, 302 in Rohini, 342 in Shadipur, and 306 in Siri Fort. In the Delhi NCR area, Faridabad stayed at 255 points, Gurugram at 222, Ghaziabad at 181, Greater Noida at 195, and Noida at 162.

As per CPCB, an AQI in the range of 0 to 50 is regarded as 'good', 51-100 as 'satisfactory', 101-200 as 'moderate', 201-300 as 'poor', 301-400 as 'very poor', 401-450 as 'severe', and anything above 450 as 'severe plus', according to the CPCB.

In reaction to the concerning situation, the Supreme Court has ordered the implementation of all actions under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-4), excluding those concerning school closures.

GRAP-4 enforces stringent limitations on construction operations, industrial discharge, and other pollution-heavy activities. The court has voiced apprehension about deficiencies in the enforcement of these guidelines and has cautioned that officials accountable for these shortcomings will encounter legal repercussions.

Officials have enforced multiple limitations under GRAP-4, which include prohibiting non-essential trucks from entering Delhi, with the exception of those transporting essential goods or operating on cleaner fuels like LNG, CNG, BS-VI diesel, or electricity. Building work for public infrastructure initiatives has also been halted to reduce dust pollution, a significant factor in the ongoing crisis.