Delhi air quality breaches 'severe plus' mark.Manvender Vashist Lav

Delhi air quality worsens to 'severe plus', Air Quality Index climbs to 457

All stations in Delhi recorded an AQI of over 400 on Sunday, with Bawana (490), Ashok Vihar (487) and Wazirpur (483) appearing as the most polluted at the 7 pm mark. 

by · India Today

In Short

  • Delhi breaches 'severe plus' mark for 1st this time season
  • Dense to very dense fog likely in Delhi on Monday morning
  • All stations in Delhi on Sunday reported an AQI of over 400

The air quality in Delhi plunged even further on Sunday and breached the 'severe plus' category after the average 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed to 457 at 7 pm. The AQI breached the 'severe plus' mark for the first time since Wednesday, after the air quality in New Delhi and surrounding areas plummeted to the 'severe' category for the first time this season.

All stations in Delhi recorded an AQI of over 400 with Bawana (490), Ashok Vihar (487) and Wazirpur (483) appearing as the most polluted at the 7 pm mark.

According to IMD data, moderate to dense fog is likely in the national capital on Sunday night, while dense to very dense fog is likely on Monday morning.

Notably, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) implemented Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) from Friday, with the aim of bringing down the air quality levels.

While GRAP-3 is in effect, construction and demolition will be halted, all non-essential mining activities will be suspended, non-electric, non-CNG, and non-BS-VI diesel interstate buses will be restricted, and schools are suggested to shut till Class 5 in Delhi-NCR.

Starting Friday, the Delhi Transport Department started imposing strict penalties on vehicles violating pollution norms, with fines set at Rs 20,000 for offenders.

Under the new rules, several categories of vehicles are barred from operating in the capital:

1. BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel light motor vehicles (LMVs): Older cars and four-wheelers falling under these categories cannot ply in Delhi.
2. BS-III diesel medium goods vehicles (MGVs): Such vehicles registered in Delhi are banned unless they transport essential goods or services.
3. Diesel light commercial vehicles (LCVs) from outside Delhi: LCVs under BS-III standards or below cannot enter Delhi unless carrying essential commodities.
4. Interstate buses from NCR states: Only electric, CNG, or BS-VI diesel buses are permitted to enter Delhi, while those with All India Tourist Permits remain exempt.

Furthermore, the CAQM has ordered an increase in the mechanised sweeping of roads. It also asked for an increase in water sprinkling on roads in hotspot areas, especially before peak traffic hours. The government has also urged Delhi residents to carpool and prefer using public transport as much as possible.

The Delhi Metro started operating an additional 20 trips (in addition to 40 already in place since GRAP-II was implemented) from Friday after the implementation of Stage III of GRAP. The 60 extra trips will be performed by Delhi Metro on weekdays till GRAP-III remains in place.