Air pollution in Delhi worsened ahead of Diwali, with the city's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 451 at 8 am on Tuesday, placing it in the 'severe' category as a thick blanket of pollution continued to grip the national capital. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), several monitoring stations recorded severe pollution levels, while air quality in many other parts of the city remained 'very poor'. Rohini reported the highest AQI among the listed locations at 429, followed by Punjabi Bagh at 424 and Bawana at 408. All three areas fell in the severe category. Conditions were not much better elsewhere. Patparganj recorded an AQI of 379, followed by R K Puram at 374 and ITO at 373. Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium reported 355, while Okhla Phase-2 and Chandni Chowk recorded 352 each. At Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), the AQI stood at 328. Some areas recorded relatively lower pollution levels, though the air remained far from clean. Live Events IGI Airport's Terminal 3 reported an AQI of 287, while Anand Vihar stood at 279 and Uttam Nagar at 274. IMD Lodhi Road recorded 226, with all four locations falling in the poor category. With pollution levels rising, Delhi Police carried out vehicle checks at the Ghazipur border as Stage-II restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) came into force. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had invoked Stage-II of GRAP across the National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday with immediate effect, following a sharp deterioration in air quality. The additional curbs will remain in place alongside the existing Stage-I measures, with civic bodies, traffic police and pollution control authorities across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan directed to step up enforcement. As part of the measures, authorities have been asked to carry out daily mechanical or vacuum sweeping of roads and increase water sprinkling with dust suppressants, particularly along busy traffic corridors and congestion-prone stretches. Priority will be given to carrying out these activities before peak traffic hours. Inspections will also be stepped up at identified pollution hotspots and construction and demolition (C&D) sites across the NCR, with agencies directed to take corrective action wherever required. The latest restrictions come as Delhi grapples with another spell of worsening air quality ahead of Diwali, raising concerns over pollution levels in the days ahead. Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
Delhi's AQI hits 451 ahead of Diwali
Air pollution in Delhi worsened ahead of Diwali, with the city's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 451 at 8 am on Tuesday, placing it in the 'severe' category as a thick blanket of pollution continued to grip the national capital. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), several monitoring stations recorded severe pollution levels, while air quality in many other parts of the city remained 'very poor'. Rohini reported the highest AQI among the listed locations at 429, followed by Punjabi Bagh at 424 and Bawana at 408. All three areas fell in the severe category. Conditions were not much better elsewhere. Patparganj recorded an AQI of 379, followed by R K Puram at 374 and ITO at 373. Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium reported 355, while Okhla Phase-2 and Chandni Chowk recorded 352 each. At Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), the AQI stood at 328. Some areas recorded relatively lower pollution levels, though the air remained far from clean. Live Events IGI Airport's Terminal 3 reported an AQI of 287, while Anand Vihar stood at 279 and Uttam Nagar at 274. IMD Lodhi Road recorded 226, with all four locations falling in the poor category. With pollution levels rising, Delhi Police carried out vehicle checks at the Ghazipur border as Stage-II restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) came into force. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had invoked Stage-II of GRAP across the National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday with immediate effect, following a sharp deterioration in air quality. The additional curbs will remain in place alongside the existing Stage-I measures, with civic bodies, traffic police and pollution control authorities across Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan directed to step up enforcement. As part of the measures, authorities have been asked to carry out daily mechanical or vacuum sweeping of roads and increase water sprinkling with dust suppressants, particularly along busy traffic corridors and congestion-prone stretches. Priority will be given to carrying out these activities before peak traffic hours. Inspections will also be stepped up at identified pollution hotspots and construction and demolition (C&D) sites across the NCR, with agencies directed to take corrective action wherever required. The latest restrictions come as Delhi grapples with another spell of worsening air quality ahead of Diwali, raising concerns over pollution levels in the days ahead. Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)
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