Delhi residents are having to grapple with winter chill clubbed with hazardous air to breathe as the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) registered an unhealthy 406 at 3 pm on Sunday afternoon, official data showed.
This marks a return to the ‘severe’ category after a brief respite on Saturday when the AQI dropped to the ‘very poor’ category. According to official data, the overall average 24-hour AQI at 8 am on Saturday was recorded at 395. This cycle of pollution has been ongoing since the night of December 16, when Delhi’s air first plunged into hazardous territory.
Despite a slight improvement in Delhi’s air quality on the night of December 20, when pollution levels momentarily subsided, the smog and pollution surged back to alarming levels by Sunday afternoon. The first half of December provided some temporary relief, with air on six days rated as ‘moderate’ following an exceptionally polluted November, a month, where air quality failed to get better than the ‘poor’ category.
In light of the deteriorating air conditions, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) enforced the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) IV in Delhi from December 16 onwards. This included a complete ban on construction activities, prompted by the worsening air quality in the region, which dipped into the ‘severe’ category due to unfavourable weather conditions.
The GRAP, a framework to tackle Delhi’s winter pollution, classifies air quality into four stages: Stage I (Poor, AQI 201-300), Stage II (Very Poor, AQI 301-400), Stage III (Severe, AQI 401-450), and Stage IV (Severe Plus, AQI above 450).
These stringent measures are aimed at mitigating further escalation of air pollution. However, with calm wind conditions forecasted in the coming days, experts warn that immediate relief is unlikely for Delhi’s inhabitants.