Delhi air turns hazardous, AQI touches 605
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Delhi's air quality entered deeply harardous territory on November 4, with the city's overall pollution marker breaching the 600 mark in the morning hours.With this, the capital's every-year winter crisis deepened into a public health alarm, even as latest govt data showed a decline in stubble burning and an increase in crop-residue management, news agency ANI reported.The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi climbed to 605 at 7:41 am on Wednesday, while several monitoring stations across the national capital continued to record severe pollution, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.Also read | COP31: EU FTA on horizon, but India won't budge on CBAMAmong the worst-affected locations, Punjabi Bagh recorded an AQI of 452, followed by Dhaula Kuan at 417, ITO at 418, RK Puram at 423 and Ghazipur at 410. The air quality around India Gate stood at 414, with all these locations falling in the severe category.Other parts of the city were also struggling with poor air quality. Chandni Chowk recorded an AQI of 369, while IGI Airport (T3) registered 358. Lodhi Road and Vasundhara Enclave reported readings of 304 and 328, respectively, placing them in the very poor category. Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 300, categorised as poor.With pollution levels worsening, authorities have stepped up enforcement of restrictions under Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Police conducted vehicle checks along the Delhi-Gurugram border following the implementation of curbs on vehicle entry.Conditions under govt watchUnion Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Tuesday that the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) was keeping a close watch on meteorological factors contributing to pollution in the national capital region.He said the monitoring exercise covered wind direction, wind speed and air movement, with the authorities taking necessary measures based on their assessment of these conditions.Also read | Bombay HC asks BMC to restore Dia Mirza’s Diwali video, questions politicians’ remarksThe minister's remarks came amid questions over why Delhi's air quality remained in the severe category despite a reduction in stubble-burning incidents compared with previous years.Yadav said approximately 40% of paddy stubble had been put to use through ex-situ management this time. The process involves utilising crop residue outside agricultural fields rather than burning it.He added that the CAQM was continuously assessing changing weather conditions and responding accordingly.The continued deterioration in air quality has raised questions about the effectiveness of measures taken to address seasonal pollution, particularly as the government cites improvements in crop-residue management across neighbouring states, including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.Mumbai AQI at 175Meanwhile, Mumbai recorded an overall AQI of 175 on Wednesday, placing the city's air quality in the unhealthy category, according to CPCB data.However, several parts of the financial capital reported comparatively better readings. Borivali East recorded an AQI of 74, while Chakala-Andheri East registered 97. Kandivali West and Malad West reported readings of 86 and 87, respectively, while Worli recorded 96. All five locations were categorised as satisfactory.Shivaji Nagar registered an AQI of 109, placing it in the moderate category.
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