Delhi Air Quality Deteriorates Ahead of Diwali; Situation Grave Despite Stage-III Restrictions

The national capital, Delhi, is facing a serious problem of toxic air on the eve of the Diwali festival. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 364 at 8 am on Saturday, which falls under the 'Very Poor' category. However, pollution levels in several areas of the city were recorded as even worse, falling into the 'Severe' category.

According to an NDTV report, different pollution figures were observed at various monitoring stations across the city. The AQI was recorded at 443 in IIT Delhi, 433 in Punjabi Bagh, and 409 in Narela, all three of which fall within the 'Severe' band. Additionally, an AQI of 315 was recorded in the Cantonment area and 318 in Dhaula Kuan, while Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 272, falling under the 'Very Poor' and 'Poor' categories respectively. According to a Businessline report, AQI was recorded in the 'Severe' category at 18 out of the city's total 59 air quality monitoring stations on Saturday morning.

To tackle this situation, the sub-committee of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has implemented Stage-III in Delhi-NCR two days before Diwali. This step has been taken as a precautionary measure to prevent a further increase in pollution.

With the implementation of Stage-III, all previous restrictions will continue, and additional stringent pollution control measures will be taken. This includes ensuring stricter compliance with rules and issuing directives to relevant agencies to prevent further deterioration of air quality. This emergency action plan has been implemented not only in Delhi but also in the nearby districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. This decision was taken based on weather and pollution forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), so that restrictions could be imposed before the city's AQI crossed the 'Severe' limit of 401.

Regarding the weather, according to the IMD, the temperature at New Delhi-Safdarjung was 17 degrees Celsius at 5:30 am, and smog-like conditions were observed. According to Businessline, the minimum temperature in Safdarjung was recorded at 16.2 degrees Celsius, which was 1.9 degrees lower than normal and one degree lower than Friday. The IMD predicts that the sky will remain mostly clear for the next few days. However, according to the Air Quality Early Warning System, there is a possibility that the AQI will reach the 'Severe' category on Saturday, and the Diwali festival may further adversely affect air quality.

According to CPCB standards, AQI levels are divided as follows: 0-50 'Good', 51-100 'Satisfactory', 101-200 'Moderate', 201-300 'Poor', 301-400 'Very Poor', and 401-500 'Severe'. The AQI of 364 recorded at 9 am on Saturday shows a slight decrease compared to the 24-hour average of 382 recorded at 4 pm on Friday. According to NDTV, the city's overall AQI was 389 on Friday morning, compared to which a slight improvement to 364 was seen on Saturday morning.

GRAP is a four-stage emergency framework managed by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in coordination with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and regional state governments. As air quality deteriorates, the restrictions under this framework are made progressively more stringent.

The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a mechanism developed to control air pollution in the Delhi-NCR area, under which different phased restrictions are imposed according to the level of pollution.