The air quality in Delhi remained in the ‘very poor’ category for the third consecutive day, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 349 as of 7 a.m. on Saturday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Specific AQI readings in various parts of the city were reported as 351 at Alipur, 351 at Burari Crossing, 377 at DTU, and 328 at ITO, as per CPCB data.
Visuals from Connaught Place, India Gate, and Anand Vihar showed a thick blanket of smog covering the whole area.
Residents suffering from the drastically increasing pollution levels said that the government’s intervention could help resolve several issues.
“The pollution is a lot; we are not able to breathe properly. The government needs to do something about this. The situations are worse for the elderly people and the labourers who are not able to work because of the current situations,” said a cyclist near the India Gate speaking to ANI.
Another pedestrian said that the government should attempt to make a transformation to EV cars and learn better technologies for stubble burning.
“The government should work on the vehicles and try to shift the current transportation to EV cars. The government should also learn about better technologies for stubble burning,” said the pedestrian.
Amol, a school student, said that the lack of accountability in the people added to the troublesome situation.
“The rising pollution could be handled properly if the government starts taking better steps. In addition to the pollution, the dust here is also a big problem. People are starting to get normal with this situation, and that is a worrisome situation. There is no accountability for the rules set by the government. Our people also need to start becoming accountable for the situations,” he said.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor, and 401-500 is severe.
