Ahead of Diwali, Delhi's air quality dips to 'poor' category

Just a week ahead of Diwali, the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital has dipped to the 'poor' category, and in some areas, it was recorded as 'severe'.

According to a forecast issued by the Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) on Sunday, the AQI in Delhi will remain in the 'poor' category till Wednesday and the subsequent six days.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed that the AQI of Anand Vihar was recorded at 428 or the 'severe' category on Monday.

Meanwhile, the areas under the 'poor' category were Patparganj (251), Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (247), IGI Airport (242), ITO (250), Nehru Nagar (252), RK Puram (268), and Siri Fort (213).

As per the CPCB data, the air quality in the capital city on Sunday stood at 232.

The CPCB classifies an AQI reading between zero and 50 "good"; 51 and 100 "satisfactory"; 101 and 200 "moderate"; 201 and 300 "poor"; 301 and 400 "very poor"; and 401 and 500 "severe".

Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday said that it has directed all agencies of the Central and state governments to strictly implement actions under stage-I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The GRAP had been introduced in the city on October 5.

Stage I includes stopping the Construction and Demolition (C&D) activities in respect of projects with plot sizes equal to or more than 500 squares metres which have not been registered on the respective web portals of the state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and GNCTD.

It also instructs ensuring proper implementation of guidelines on dust mitigation measures and sound environmental management of C&D waste.

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