Delhi AQI falls further, toxic air sets off alarm bells ahead of winter

Delhi’s air quality touched a new low as many areas like Anand Vihar reported an AQI of 600 and above, the worst this season so far, according to the Aqicn website data. Meanwhile, the overall air quality in the national capital stood at 317 as of 8 am on Monday.

According to the IQair website, the pollution level, measured as PM2.5 concentration, is currently 59 times higher than the WHO-prescribed danger limit. Constant exposure to high pollution concentrations can cause severe health concerns, such as lung and brain damage.

An AQI, which is a report of the quality of air in a region, is considered ‘poor’ between 200 and 300, ‘very poor’ between 301 and 400, severe at 401 and 450, and above 450 is “severe-plus,” which can cause damaging health concerns to residents.

AQI levels in various Delhi areas on Monday as of 8 am:

Anand Vihar – 627 (hazardous)
Alipur – 388 (hazardous)
Punjabi Bagh – 319 (hazardous)
Narela – 372 (hazardous)
RK Puram – 268 (very poor)
Bawana – 368 (hazardous)
ITI Shahdra – 408 (hazardous)

Delhi AQI: How is the Atishi govt tackling air pollution?

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that around 200 mobile anti-smog guns will be deployed across the national capital to combat dust pollution.

Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Gopal Rai said that the Delhi government is continuously working on the ground to combat the rising pollution levels.

He further said that to address dust pollution, the Delhi government will deploy 200 mobile anti-smog guns throughout the city, which will operate in three shifts of eight hours each, spraying water in every assembly constituency to help control dust levels.

“Whether it is dust pollution, vehicle pollution or biomass burning, our teams are continuously working on targeting these three on the ground,” he said.

Stubble-burning levels come down

Notably, Delhi’s air quality has remained slightly better than in other years after Diwali despite the contribution from stubble burning significantly decreasing.

On Saturday, stubble burning accounted for only 15 per cent of Delhi’s pollution, a substantial drop from Friday’s figure of over 35 per cent. However, this reduction indicates that other factors are significantly influencing Delhi’s air quality, India Today reported