Delhi air remains in 'very poor' category with AQI at 323; no major relief from pollution for next few days

Delhi saw some improvement in its air quality for some days, but pollution levels still remain high in the air. On Tuesday morning (Nov 21), Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 323 in the “very poor” category, as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

Many places in Delhi crossed the overall AQI mark of 323, like Anand Vihar, where AQI was recorded at 374, in Jahangirpuri, the situation was even worse with AQI at 399. In Moti Bagh, the AQI stood at 370. On Monday, the capital city’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 348, deteriorating from 301 on Sunday.

Slight improvement in air quality but no respite from pollution in the capital

There was a marginal improvement in Delhi’s air quality on Sunday (Nov 19), but major relief from high pollution levels is unlikely over the next few days.

As a result of improved air quality in the capital, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) lifted restrictions imposed under GRAP-IV on Saturday. This allowed trucks and buses to enter the city except for BS-3 and BS-4 petrol and diesel vehicles and lifted the ban on construction work.

The Centre and Delhi government put restrictions under the GRAP-IV guidelines, which brought slight improvement in the air quality but only in a few areas and that too not for a very long period of time. The consequences of this action were reflected in the city’s poor AQI as recorded on the next day, Sunday.

Gopal Rai said, “Though there has been a constant improvement in air quality, people still need to be aware in order to maintain this improvement," as quoted by ANI.

The air quality forecasts by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) do not indicate any steep decline in the overall air quality of Delhi-NCR in the coming days, but there will be no significant relief from high levels of pollution for the next few days.

(With inputs from agencies)