Residents of Delhi are facing the winter cold combined with dangerous air quality, as the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) hit an unhealthy 406 at 3 pm on Sunday, according to official reports.
This signifies a return to the ‘severe’ category following a short break on Saturday when the AQI fell to the ‘very poor’ category. As per official statistics, the total average 24-hour AQI at 8 am on Saturday was noted at 395.
This cycle of pollution has persisted since the evening of December 16, when Delhi’s air first fell into dangerous levels.
Even though there was a minor enhancement in Delhi’s air quality on the evening of December 20, when pollution briefly decreased, the smog and pollutants returned to critical levels by Sunday afternoon.
The initial part of December offered some short-term respite, as air quality was deemed ‘moderate’ on six days after an extremely polluted November, during which air quality did not exceed the ‘poor’ classification.
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Due to the worsening air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) implemented the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) IV in Delhi starting December 16.
This involved a total prohibition on construction work, triggered by the deteriorating air quality in the area, which fell into the ‘severe’ classification because of adverse weather conditions.
The GRAP, a system designed to address winter pollution in Delhi, categorizes air quality into four levels: 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 exceeding 450).
