Delhi air back in 'severe' category: Anand Vihar 'hazardous', Greater Noida 'most polluted'

Authorities in the national capital are taking extra measures to try arresting the slide in the quality of air in New Delhi through extensive water spraying with dust suppressant powder in heavily polluted areas.

After a brief rise to the 'very poor' status, Delhi's air was back in the 'severe' category with the quality index reading hovering on 421 around 7am on November 8.

Most part of the Capital, barring Lodi Road, JLN Stadium, Siri Fort, Aurobindo Marg, and Dilshad Garden, breathed in the worst category of air on Wednesday. An air quality index (AQI) reading of above 400 is considered 'severe'.

Air monitoring stations such as Anand Vihar, Dwarka, Shadipur, Mandir Marg, ITO, RK Puram, Punjabi Bagh, North Campus, Mathura Road, Rohini, Patparganj, Okhla, India Gate, and Mundka all recorded an AQI score above 400 6am, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Anand Vihar and Greater Noida 

At 10pm on November 7, Anand Vihar recorded an alarming AQI score of 999, which is considered 'hazardous' levels of air pollution.

The National Capital Region (NCR) didn't fare any better with Greater Noida being the most polluted with an AQI score of 474, while the likes of Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad breached the 'very poor' category at 6am.

Supreme Court diktat

The Supreme Court on November 7 directed the governments of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh to stop crop burning immediately to check the threatening level of air pollution in the Capital.

Also Read: SC orders Delhi, Punjab and adjoining states to stop crop burning immediately

During the course of the hearing, the apex court pulled up the Punjab government for its inaction in stopping stubble burning and asked the state to not politicise the issue or pass the buck to other states. Noting that the 'odd-even' scheme was done merely for optics, the court asked the Delhi government to consider allowing only Delhi-registered cars inside the city.

"The residents of Delhi have been struggling with health issues because we don’t seem to find a solution for pollution at this time of the year. This has been the ongoing process for five years. It is time that something is done as of yesterday (immediately), the matter requires immediate attention and court monitoring," the order said.

More measures

Authorities in the national capital are taking extra measures to arrest the sustained decline in air quality in New Delhi through extensive water spraying with dust suppressant powder in heavily polluted areas. The Delhi civic body has deployed 517 surveillance teams comprising more than 1,100 officers to ensure the ban on construction and demolition.

Mayor Shelly Oberoi announced that the body has been given a budget of Rs 20 lakh for each of the 12 zones in the city to implement these measures.