Fighting Our Killer Air - A Citizens' Charter
  • Home/
  • Delhi Remains Covered In Toxic Smog, Air Quality Severe For 6th Day

Delhi Remains Covered In Toxic Smog, Air Quality Severe For 6th Day

The air quality in Delhi dipped to the severe category this morning after a slight improvement a day earlier. The situation has worsened in Mumbai too since it debuted as among the world's most polluted cities last weekend.

A blanket of toxic smog covers Delhi and surrounding cities with schools being shut and the stricter odd-even rule set to make a comeback after four years.

The overall air quality index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded at 418 this morning. Some of the worst-affected areas were Punjabi Bagh (460), Narela (448), Bawana (462), Anand Vihar (452), and Rohini (451). The situation isn't any better in Noida, Gurugram and other surrounding cities. Noida average AQI this morning was 409, Gurugram 370, Faridabad (396) and Ghaziabad (382).

Mumbai recorded an AQI of 165 this morning. A hospital has set up a special Intensive Respiratory Care Unit to attend to patients with respiratory issues in the city, fearing in rise in health issues due to pollution. This is despite the city's geographical advantage of being located on the coast and being surrounded by water on three sides, which leads to strong winds blowing away most of the pollutants in the air.

A cocktail of factors including vehicular emissions and stubble burning are being held responsible for the air pollution in Delhi, where authorities have raised the pollution alert to the highest level.

Stage-4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a set of anti-pollution guidelines, has been invoked and diesel trucks and construction activities have been banned in the national capital.

The odd-even rule, under which the vehicular traffic is restricted based on their registration number, will be implemented on the day after Diwali for a week.

Supreme Court, however, is not convinced with the odd-even rule and called such measures "mere optics". It has directed state governments in the National Capital Region to take steps to stop stubble burning, stressing that the choking air quality is responsible for the "murder of people's health".

The top court has also clarified that its 2021 order allowing only the use of green firecrackers will apply across the country, and not just Delhi-NCR. For Mumbai residents, the Bombay High Court has set a 7-10 pm timeframe for fireworks during Diwali.

Share this story on

Latest Stories

................................ Advertisement ................................

Latest Videos

Opinion

  • Opinion | Why Indians Have Just Given Up On Air Pollution Crisis

    Opinion | Why Indians Have Just Given Up On Air Pollution CrisisTanushree Ganguly

    Friday December 20, 2024

    While some may argue that people in Delhi are now more aware of air pollution than they were a decade back, my rebuttal would be that awareness does not mean that people are concerned.

  • Opinion | You Must Outrage Over Filthy Air More Than Once A Year

    Opinion | You Must Outrage Over Filthy Air More Than Once A YearJyoti Pande Lavakare

    Tuesday December 10, 2024

    Delhi welcomed us with monsoon rains and mangos. We were home. Fast forward a couple of years, in the winter of 2012, I found myself in denial about something other parents, mostly expats, were calling toxic air.

  • Opinion | Delhi's Air Pollution Situation Is Like A Bad Marriage

    Opinion | Delhi's Air Pollution Situation Is Like A Bad MarriageNishtha Gautam

    Friday November 22, 2024

    On a good day, such as today, the AQI reading in Delhi is 407. We are jubilant at the sickly sunshine trickling through the slightly dissipated smog. At least its not 1600.

  • दिवाली... पराली... सियासी जुगाली!

    दिवाली... पराली... सियासी जुगाली!Ashwini kumar

    Monday November 18, 2024

    दिल्ली-एनसीआर में प्रदूषण का समाधान तो आज तक मिला नहीं. हर साल चिंतित होकर हम-आप सांसों की तकलीफ के साथ-साथ दिल और ब्लड प्रेशर के मरीज भी क्यों बनें?

  • घर में कैद बुजुर्ग और हांफते लोग, दिल्ली की सांसों में घुला ये कैसा रोग?

    घर में कैद बुजुर्ग और हांफते लोग, दिल्ली की सांसों में घुला ये कैसा रोग?Nidhi Kulpati

    Friday November 08, 2024

    हमारी हवा जहरीली हो रही है. गुरुवार की शाम को जब मैं इस मुद्दे पर लिखने बैठी तो AQI लगातार 400 पार  जाकर दम घोंट रहा था. बहुत लोगों को यह मामला बोरिंग लगे, लेकिन जब आप अपने साथ काम करने वालों को खांसते-हांफते देखते-सुनते हैं, तो चिंता होने लगती है. सुबह उठते ही दरवाजे खिड़कियां खोलने के लिए डॉक्टर मना कर रहे हैं. बड़े बुजुर्गों के लिए तो मॉर्निंग वॉक बाहर की दुनिया से सीधे संपर्क का ज़रिया है, लेकिन डॉक्टर इसकी भी मनाही कर रहे हैं.