NEW DELHI, Dec 17: The air quality in the national capital was classified as ‘severe’ on Tuesday morning, with an AQI reaching 427, while the minimum temperature dropped to 5.9 degrees Celsius, which is two degrees below the normal range.
Of the 35 monitoring stations, 28 reported air quality in the ‘severe’ category, with some exceeding the 450 threshold, which is categorized as ‘severe plus.’
The remaining seven stations indicated air quality in the ‘very poor’ range, as per the Sameer app, which delivers hourly updates from the Central Pollution Control Board.
An AQI of 400 or above is classified as “severe,” which can negatively impact both healthy individuals and those with pre-existing health issues.
The weather department noted, “Mainly calm winds were observed over Delhi in the last 24 hours, causing visibility to drop from 800 meters in shallow fog at Palam on Monday to 350 meters in moderate fog at Safdarjung on Tuesday morning.”
It further stated that moderate fog conditions (with visibility ranging from 200m to 500m) are anticipated to continue in Delhi over the next two days due to the expected calm or easterly surface winds.
Humidity levels reached 97 percent at 8:30 am.
The predicted maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to be 24 degrees Celsius and 5 degrees Celsius, respectively.
On Monday, the Centre’s air quality panel for Delhi-NCR implemented stringent Stage 4 restrictions under the winter air pollution control plan, which includes a halt to all construction activities, as the region’s air quality deteriorated to ‘severe’ owing to unfavorable weather conditions.
The Stage 4 restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for the winter season also include prohibiting the entry of polluting trucks carrying non-essential goods into Delhi and mandating the transition to hybrid classes for schools, except for grades X and XII.
The decision to enforce Stage 4 restrictions came just hours after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) activated more stringent measures under GRAP Stage 3, as Delhi’s AQI surpassed the 350 threshold in the afternoon.
During winter months, Delhi implements restrictions under GRAP, which categorizes 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). (PTI)
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