Delhi residents woke up to hazardous air quality on Thursday, November 14, as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the Anand Vihar area reached 473 (‘severe plus’) early in the morning. This comes after Delhi recorded the country’s worst AQI the previous day, with dense smog covering the NCR and significantly reducing visibility. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) attributed the sharp AQI increase to an “unprecedentedly dense” fog, describing it as an “episodic event.”
On Wednesday, the AQI averaged 418 by 4 p.m., deteriorating further to 454 (‘severe plus’) by 9 p.m. The areas of Aya Nagar, Ashok Vihar, and Wazirpur experienced some of the worst conditions, with AQI readings exceeding 400.
Despite the worsening air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has not yet implemented Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which would include halting in-person classes for primary schools and suspending construction activities. Currently, GRAP Stage 2, which was enacted on October 22, remains in effect. Stage 4, the highest level, is triggered when the 24-hour average AQI crosses the ‘severe plus’ threshold.
The CAQM, however, anticipates a possible improvement due to stronger winds, which may help reduce pollutant levels and shift AQI back into the “very poor” category.
Wednesday also brought Delhi its first dense fog and lowest daytime temperature of the season, which contributed to pollutant accumulation. Safdarjung recorded a temperature drop from 32.8°C on Tuesday to 27.8°C on Wednesday.
Of the 36 monitoring stations in Delhi, 30 reported AQI in the “severe” category. The CPCB defines AQI categories as follows: 0-50 as ‘good,’ 51-100 ‘satisfactory,’ 101-200 ‘moderate,’ 201-300 ‘poor,’ 301-400 ‘very poor,’ 401-450 ‘severe,’ and above 450 as ‘severe plus.’
Should the air quality remain at this level, restrictions under Stage 3 of GRAP, including bans on construction, demolition, and certain vehicles, may be imposed to curb pollution.
