Delhi remained blanketed in a thick layer of smog for the third consecutive day on Thursday, with the city’s air quality staying in the ‘severe’ category.
According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 405 at 10 am, only marginally better than 418 recorded at 4 pm on Wednesday.
As per CPCB’s Sameer app, out of 39 active air quality monitoring stations in Delhi, 25 reported ‘severe’ air quality on Thursday. The worst-affected areas included Bawana (460), Wazirpur (454), and Rohini (447).
On Tuesday, Delhi’s AQI had touched 428, the highest level since December 19 last year, when it stood at 451. Meteorologists said the combination of slow winds and falling temperatures has led to a weather phenomenon called inversion, which traps pollutants close to the ground, creating the dense haze visible across the city.
Slight relief likely ahead
Winds continue to remain low, with maximum speeds touching only 10 km/hr on Wednesday, said Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet. “In the early hours, winds have mostly been calm. The wind direction was northwesterly till Wednesday, but it then fluctuated to westerly and southwesterly,” he said.
Palawat added that forecasts indicate marginal improvement from Thursday onwards.
Stage-3 of GRAP in force; schools move to hybrid mode
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has enforced stage-3 restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the National Capital Region (NCR) since Tuesday.
Under these measures, all private and non-essential construction activities are banned, while BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel four-wheelers are restricted in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddh Nagar.
The Delhi government has also directed all primary schools up to class five to operate in ‘hybrid’ mode until further notice, as per an order issued by the Department of Education.
Officials said that stage-3 measures could be rolled back if the AQI drops below 400, the threshold for the ‘severe’ category.
(With inputs from Jasjeev Gandhiok)