No significant improvement took place in the pollution levels in Delhi as city’s average air quality on Tuesday remained to be in the ‘very poor’ category, the daily Air Quality Index (AQI) bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said.
The capital city’s AQI, based on the average of past 24 hours, at 4 pm on Tuesday pegged at 343, a minor improvement from the previous day’s value of 349. Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 and PM 10 were the primary pollutants in the city’s air, as per the pollution monitoring agency. At least 13 stations recorded an AQI above 400 which falls under the ‘severe’ category. Among them Anand Vihar recorded 426, Rohini 415, Vivek Vihar 414, Sonia Vihar 412 and Mundka 411 respectively.
The people of the city and the adjoining areas woke up to a layer of smog and haze, while the skies were less clear, as compared to Monday. People continued to face difficulty in breathing while they were outdoors, especially in areas with more traffic and construction sites around. Restrictions under the anti- pollution Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)’s different stages remain in place.
Meanwhile, with the beginning of the winters in Delhi, the change in meteorological conditions exacerbates the pollution situation across the city. People now want a long term solution for the problem which has been bothering them for several years. Earlier on Monday, the Delhi Directorate of Education directed the schools to follow Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) guidelines.
“State Govts in the NCR shall ensure that all classes upto 12th Standard are conducted in a “Hybrid” mode i.e., both in “physical” and also in an “online”, wherever online mode is feasible in the territorial jurisdiction of the NCT of Delhi and in the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar in the NCR,” the CAQM order stated.