Delhi’s air pollution has reached alarming levels, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 969 as of Monday afternoon, categorised as 'hazardous.' Experts warn that breathing this air is equivalent to smoking 21 cigarettes daily, posing severe health risks, said AQI.in citing Berkeley Earth.
Other cities in the National Capital Region (NCR) also report concerning pollution levels. Ghaziabad and Noida recorded AQI levels of 483 and 442 respectively, marking ‘severe’ air quality.
High concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 particles can exacerbate respiratory diseases, heart problems, and other chronic conditions. Citizens are advised to use air purifiers, wear protective masks, and minimise outdoor exposure to safeguard their health.
Since the end of October, Delhi's air quality has been deteriorating, worsened by several factors including firecrackers and stubble burning.
The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Delhi government over delay in implementation of stricter anti-pollution measures under GRAP-4, and said it will not allow scaling down of the preventive measures without its prior permission.
An apex court bench, comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih, ruled that preventive measures under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) would remain in place, even if the AQI falls below 450.
A total of 11 flights were diverted and many were delayed at the Delhi airport on Monday morning as bad weather conditions in the national capital resulted in poor visibility impacting aircraft operations, according to an official.
SpiceJet and IndiGo informed passengers through X that flights may be affected due to poor visibility conditions in the national capital, which is also grappling with high pollution levels.
Out of the 11 flights, 10 were diverted to Jaipur and 1 to Dehradun, the official said and added that some of the pilots were not trained for CAT III operations due to which flights had to be diverted.
