Delhi Becomes The World’s Most Polluted City Again!

According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi’s air quality fell into the “very poor” category on Sunday, with an air quality index (AQI) of 382. The latest data reveals that the city is on the cusp of entering the ‘severe’ category, i.e., AQI of 400 or above. Pollution levels are skyrocketing despite efforts to reduce them, raising concerns among the residents.

Air Quality ‘Severe’

In fact, the AQI of Anand Vihar reached 600. This marked as the worst air quality in the country as per Aqicn website data. According to PTI, 15 monitoring stations recorded AQI above 400 that is in severe category. These stations being, Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Dwarka, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, NSIT Dwarka, Najafgarh, Nehru Nagar, Okhla Phase 2, Patparganj, Punjabi Bagh, Rohini, Wazirpur, and Vivek Vihar.

Anand Vihar led with AQI of 436, followed by Rohini at 435, Lajpat Nagar at 430, and Punjabi Bagh at 425. Furthermore, Delhi’s 24 hours average AQI stood at 382, compared to 316 the previous day.

AQI Levels In Delhi On Monday

As of 8 a.m the AQI levels in the national capital are as follows-

• Anand Vihar – 627 (hazardous)
• Alipur – 388 (hazardous)
• Punjabi Bagh – 319 (hazardous)
• Narela – 372 (hazardous)
• RK Puram – 268 (very poor)
• Bawana – 368 (hazardous)
• ITI Shahdra – 408 (hazardous)

Overall, Delhi’s pollution is at a staggering 65 times above the WHO permissible limits, as reported by Hindustan times. This poses several health risks. A combination of local pollution sources, couples with weather conditions, vehicular emissions and stubble burning, deteriorates Delhi’s already precarious air quality. As per the latest data detected by satellite there have been a total of 9376 incidents of stubble burning from September 15 to November 2. During this, Punjab led with 3916 incidents, followed by 2302 incidents in MP. As per India Today report, Punjab witnessed the sharpest rise, reaching this season’s highest with 587 cases on November 1.

The Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai stated that the AAP government would deploy around 200 mobile anti-smog guns throughout the city to control the dust levels. He said, “Whether it is dust pollution, vehicle pollution or biomass burning, our teams are continuously working on targeting these three on the ground.”

On the other hand, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal, reacting on the increasing air pollution levels in Delhi, said, “It is a concerning matter for everyone. We are breathing poisonous air here, and the AAP government is responsible for that. In the last 10 years, Arvind Kejriwal has not done anything which can permanently resolve the issue of air pollution in Delhi…”