Monday saw a decline in Delhi’s air quality, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) rising above 400 in a number of locations, indicating a move into the “severe” category. This follows a documented increase in pollution levels on Sunday.
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reports that several monitoring stations, including Anand Vihar (433), Wazirpur (414), Jahangirpuri (413), Rohini (409), and Punjabi Bagh (404), recorded AQI readings above 400 at 7 a.m.
The “very poor” category also applied to other parts of the national capital. Unfavourable weather patterns, such as low temperatures and calm breezes, are blamed for the declining air quality since they have prevented pollutants from dispersing.
“Meteorological conditions are likely to be extremely unfavourable for the dispersion of pollutants,” the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi (EWS) said on Sunday.
Mist or pollution is predicted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the early hours of Monday through Wednesday. Wind speeds are predicted to stay below 10 kmph, which might make the situation worse.
Delhi’s AQI score on Sunday was 382, the lowest of the season, down from 316 the day before.
The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is one of the steps the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has made to counteract the increasing pollution levels. Additionally, the EPA fined industries, automobiles, and building sites that broke environmental regulations.
The agency ordered the closure of 56 construction and demolition sites and fined 597 sites that failed to meet pollution control norms between October 15 and October 31. As many as 54,000 vehicles without valid pollution-under-control certificates were penalised, and over 3,900 vehicles older than the prescribed age limit were impounded. Efforts to combat pollution also included a crackdown on illegal waste dumping, with over 5,300 inspections conducted and actions taken against violators.
CAQM has installed water sprinklers, anti-smog guns, and mechanical road-sweeping devices around the National Capital Region (NCR) to reduce road dust; approximately 600 sprinklers and anti-smog guns are used every day.
