Delhi’s Air Quality Deteriorates, AQI Hits ‘Very Poor’ at 301

The air quality in the national capital remained in the ‘severe’ category on Wednesday, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). At 7 am, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 301, falling under the ‘very poor’ category.
According to the CPCB data, the AQI measured at Lodhi Road till 7 am was 254, IGI Airport (T3) 298, Okhla Phase 298, DTU 250 and Pusa 281.
However, several places in Delhi are still in the ‘severe’ category for air pollution, with Ashok Vihar 316, Anand Vihar 311, ITO 316, Wazirpur 331, Vivek Vihar 318 and Shadipur 375.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is severe.
Nidhi gupta, a resident of Delhi said “In Delhi, pollution is not happening for the first time. It happens every year. It happens every month, every 20 days. When the weather changes and the weather settles in, then pollution does happen. And the people of Delhi who have medical issues, have a problem, but the rest of the people have only been blown out of proportion. We live in Delhi. I am running for six, or seven years now with a very famous running group in Delhi. Our coaches take all the precautions in this weather. But because of that, we sit at home and stop doing anything else. We stop our morning activities and sit at home. And then suddenly we leave home after 15 days. So that pollution and that weather will affect us more, instead, we should keep doing little activities. . .you drink water, keep your body hydrated, eat well, then pollution doesn’t affect anyone. No one has died of this pollution to date.
One Delhi resident said that vehicles should be reduced on the road given current weather conditions, and for children and elderly people, I would say that the online classes are going well. And they should continue. And for the elderly people, the weather is not good, it is polluted. So try to stay in areas where there are more trees and walking is needed. The stubble burning should also be stopped, like in thermal plants, blocks are used instead of coal for burning. The Haryana government has given subsidies to it our government should also bring provisions in such a way that people will stop burning stubble burning.
The area around India Gate also remained covered in smog with AQI in the severe category. High-rise buildings in the area were engulfed in smog, reducing their visibility to the bare eye.
Earlier on Monday, the Directorate of Education of the Delhi Government issued directions to all schools in the national capital to follow CAQM’s order.
“State governments in the NCR shall ensure that all classes up to 12th Standard are conducted in a ‘hybrid” mode, i.e., both in “physical” and also in “online” modes, wherever online mode is feasible in the territorial jurisdiction of the NCT of Delhi and the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar in the NCR,” said the CAQM order.
In compliance with the CAQM order, the Directorate of Education, Government of Delhi, has issued instructions to the heads of all government, government-aided, and unaided recognised private schools under its jurisdiction, as well as the NDMC, MCD, and Delhi Cantonment Board regarding conducting classes in hybrid mode for students of all classes with immediate effect until further orders.