Delhi woke up to another polluted morning on Sunday, with the city’s average AQI touching 268 at 9 am, placing it in the ‘poor’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The figure is noticeably lower than Saturday’s reading of 305, marking the first significant dip in pollution levels after 24 days of persistently bad air.
As toxic air continues to sweep the Capital and its surrounding region, civil society groups have also announced a protest at Jantar Mantar on December 3.
Even with this slight improvement, several pockets of the capital continued to record troubling numbers. Shadipur logged an AQI of 331, RK Puram 303 and Jahangirpuri 323, all firmly in the ‘very poor’ range. Nehru Nagar stood at 316 while Dilshad Garden was at 304.
Only five of the 38 monitoring stations fell in the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday morning, but many others continued to show ‘poor’ air quality. Anand Vihar recorded 282 and Patparganj 280. In the NCR, Faridabad logged a comparatively better 174, while Noida reported 266 and Ghaziabad 260.
As per CPCB standards, an AQI of 0–50 is classified as ‘good’, 51–100 as ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 as ‘moderate’, 201–300 as ‘poor’, 301–400 as ‘very poor’, and 401–500 as ‘severe’.
Delhi’s air had remained above 300 for 23 consecutive days till November 29, the second-longest stretch of ‘very poor’ or worse air since 2019.
Protests on November 30
People are gathering at Jantar Mantar on November 30 between 2–5 pm to protest the month-long spell of poor air quality.
A post circulating on X said residents are breathing dust, losing sunlight, and living with constant noise, and urged people to join the November 30 demonstration to oppose the continued destruction of Delhi’s Ridge.
Another protest has also been announced at Jantar Mantar on December 3.
Citizens body protest on December 3
As toxic air continues to blanket the city, a collective of civil society organisations on Saturday announced a December 3 protest at Jantar Mantar, urging Delhiites to step out and demand clean, breathable air.
“CALL FOR PEACEFUL PROTEST Delhi is still choking on HAZARDOUS air. Even band-aid measures like GRAP have been withdrawn. Many citizen groups of Delhi have now called for a peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar (the “designated protest site” in New Delhi) on Wednesday, 3 December, 12 PM onwards! Every concerned citizen, every caring mother, youth, and elders should join!”,the post read on X.
Several civil society groups, including My Right to Breathe and Warrior Moms, said they would join the demonstration, while the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India also extended its support, according to a report by The Hindu.
Concerned about Delhi’s worsening air quality and its impact on public health, several citizens had also gathered at India Gate on the evening of November 23 to protest.
The demonstration, however, took a chaotic turn when some participants allegedly used chilli spray on police personnel as they were being removed from the site, officials said.