NEW DELHI: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on Sunday imposed Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR as the air quality inched towards the “very poor” category, causing a rise in the pollution levels in the region.
According to the CPCB, the city recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 296 at 4 pm, placing it in the “poor” category. An AQI between 301 and 400 is considered “very poor”.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government deployed water sprinklers at the India Gate to combat pollution in the area. Of the total 38 monitoring stations in the national capital, 12 reported air quality in the “very poor” range. Anand Vihar recorded the highest AQI at 430, followed by Wazirpur (364), Vivek Vihar (351), Dwarka (335), and RK Puram (323), respectively.
Other areas such as Siri Fort, Dilshad Garden, and Jahangirpuri reported an AQI of 318. Punjabi Bagh stood at 313, Nehru Nagar at 310, Ashok Vihar at 305, and Bawana at 304, the CPCB data showed.
The city recorded a maximum temperature of 33.3 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degrees above the season’s average, while the minimum temperature settled at 20.6 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). At 8.30 am, the relative humidity was 71% which rose to 91% by 5.30 pm.
The IMD has forecast mist for Monday morning, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 33 degrees Celsius and 21 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Earlier on Wednesday, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that cloud seeding, a method of inducing artificial rain, is all set to be carried out the moment the IMD gives the go-ahead, after Diwali.
At a press conference, he said that the Delhi government has “everything” it needs to carry out cloud seeding.
