NEW DELHI: Diwali is still another 10 days away, but the air quality in the national capital is deteriorating already. Multiple monitoring stations indicating ‘very poor’ air quality. The overall air quality in Delhi stood at 293, worse than the previous 24-hour average of 285, data showed.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on said that there are 13 hotspots in Delhi where AQI has crossed 300. These are Wazirpur, Mundka, Rohini, Jahangirpuri, Anand Vihar, Dwarka Sector-8, Bawana, Narela, Vivek Vihar, Okhla Phase 2, Punjabi Bagh, Ashok Vihar and RK Puram. The AQI level was highest in Wazirpur.
“We have instructed the authorities to find out the local sources behind it,” Rai said.
Videos emerged from Anand Vihar on social media showing officials undertaking measures such as sprinkling water on roads to tackle air pollution. The Graded Response Action Plan-1 (Grap-1) was imposed across Delhi-NCR on October 14.
According to data from the Air Quality Early Warning System, Dhyan Chand Stadium recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 270, while Mundka had a high AQI of 377. Najafgarh measured 278, and Narela 317. Nehru Nagar’s AQI was 289, with North Campus slightly higher at 296.
Meanwhile, Okhla Phase 2 had an AQI of 295, and Patparganj recorded 338. Punjabi Bagh measured 309, while Pusa had a lower AQI of 212. RK Puram reported 274, and Rohini showed a concerning AQI of 363. Anand Vihar had an AQI of 342, while Dwarka Sector 8 registered 325, and IGI Airport 261.
Delhi’s neighbours Noida and Haryana’s Gurugram also reeled from poor air quality levels. The past 24-hour average data showed an AQI of 178 in Gurugram and 242 in Noida.
SAFAR of Ministry of Earth Science has predicted that Delhi’s air quality would dip to ‘very poor’ category by Sunday, leading to a respiratory illness crisis among the residents. People have been warned against taking part in outdoor activities such as jogging or running and advised to wear N-95 masks when not at home.