Delhi air pollution: ‘City of hearts’ AQI deteriorates in 'severe' category again

Delhi air pollution: The ‘City of Hearts’ woke up to persistently ‘severe’ air quality on Monday marked by an Air Quality Index (AQI) dipping into 400’s as reported by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR-India). 

The upward trend in the AQI again on Monday morning raises concerns about health issues as several Delhities complained about difficulty in breathing, especially in and senion citizens and children. Residents also urged the government and the authorities concerned to mobilise steps to curb the runaway air pollution at the earliest. 

Check AQI at different locations in Delhi 

RK Puram - 419, 

ITO - 435, 

Dwarka Sector 8 at 402, 

Jahangirpuri at 437, 

Ashok Vihar at 455 

The recent surge in AQI levels followed the lifting of several restrictions by the Centre last Saturday, which included the allowance of construction activities and the entry of polluting trucks into Delhi.

Restrictions under stages 1 to 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), however, remained in place. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had conducted a meeting on Friday on increasing pollution in the city.

 "Some increase in the pollution of Delhi has been noted. We had a meeting regarding it. The incidents of stubble burning are very few now, and the level of pollution is still increasing. Scientists reported 2-3 factors for this. The first is that vehicle pollution's contribution is 36 per cent. The second factor is biomass burning. We made some major decisions after seeing this, Gopal Rai said. 

Air Quality Index (AQI) is a tool for effective communication of air quality status to people in terms, which are easy to understand. It transforms complex air quality data of various pollutants into a single number (index value), nomenclature, and colour.

Check AQI scale 

0 and 50 are considered "good”, 

51 and 100 are "satisfactory", 

101 and 200 are "moderate", 

201 and 300 are "poor", 

301 and 400 are "very poor", 

401 and 450 are "severe"  

450 considered as "very severe " 

- With inputs from agencies

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