NEW DELHI: The city’s air quality remained mired in the ‘severe’ category for a fifth consecutive day on Monday. The overall AQI was reported to be 488 (on a scale that maxes out at 500).
Within the city, some of the worst-affected areas continued to be New Moti Bagh (488) and RK Puram (466) in South Delhi, Patparganj (471) in East Delhi and ITO (402), which is in the north-eastern part of the national capital.
The air quality in several other parts of the city continued to be in the severe and severe plus category, posing serious respiratory and other health issues.
The city’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI), recorded at 4 pm daily, stood at 421 on Monday, a marginal improvement from 454 on Sunday, even as a toxic haze persisted over the city for the seventh consecutive day.
According to the air quality early warning system, predominant winds were coming from northwest direction with a speed four to six kilometre per hour for few hours during daytime but calm winds prevailed rest of the day.
The air quality is likely to be in the severe category from Tuesday to Thursday.
The weather office has forecast a mainly clear sky for Tuesday with the maximum temperature expected to settle at 31 degrees Celsius and minimum at 14 degrees Celsius.
The humidity levels oscillated between 35 per cent and 98 per cent on Monday. As per the IMD, there are chances of light rain on Wednesday but it will not have any impact on the pollution levels.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday had invoked stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the entire National Capital Region (NCR) with immediate effect to prevent further deterioration of air quality.
The Air Quality Commission said that Stage IV will be implemented in addition to the restrictions placed under Stage I to III.
The education department issued another circular on Monday announcing that all classes except the board classes of 10th and 12th in all schools of Delhi shall be held online up to November 10.
“As for the board classes, 10th and 12th, the head of schools have also been permitted to call students for physical classes,” read the circular.