Delhi's air quality deteriorated on Sunday with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching the 'severe' category at 409 at 4 pm, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
On Saturday, the AQI was recorded at 370, placing it in the 'very poor' category.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
The capital on Sunday experienced dangerously high levels of PM2.5, the primary pollutant, with 37 out of 39 monitoring stations reporting air quality in the 'severe plus' category.
Some areas recorded AQI levels as high as 474.
PM2.5 particles, which are 2.5 micrometres or smaller in diameter, can penetrate deep into the lungs, posing significant health risks.
Delhi remains under Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which includes stringent anti-pollution measures such as a complete ban on construction activities and restrictions on non-essential polluting trucks entering the city.
Meanwhile, the weather office has forecast cloudy sky with light rain on Monday, with temperatures expected to range from a high of 20 degrees Celcius to a low of 7 degrees Celcius.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Monsoon brings welcome relief but also triggers respiratory health issues like cold, flu, asthma and pneumonia, due to high humidity, mould, dust, air pollution and viral outbreaks.
The Supreme Court has upheld the powers of the pollution control boards to impose restitutionary and compensatory damages for environmental harm, saying that prevention and remediation must be at the heart of environmental governance.
Ahead of the UN treaty on plastics, a new report in The Lancet journal on Monday has warned that plastic pollution is an underrecognized threat to the health of both humans and the planet, which must be addressed immediately.
Citing the latest Air Quality Index of 74, CM Rekha Gupta highlighted the government's ongoing efforts to reduce the city's pollution, and claimed that for the first time in a decade, the index has come down to such a satisfactory level.
On World Cancer Day, a look at how the change is being driven by environmental, occupational and/or genetic risk factors.
................................ Advertisement ................................
Opinion | Why Indians Have Just Given Up On Air Pollution CrisisTanushree Ganguly
Friday December 20, 2024While 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 YearJyoti Pande Lavakare
Tuesday December 10, 2024Delhi 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 MarriageNishtha Gautam
Friday November 22, 2024On 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!Ashwini kumar
Monday November 18, 2024दिल्ली-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?Nidhi Kulpati
Friday November 08, 2024हमारी 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.