As Delhi chokes, the government has shut all schools till November 5 after a Supreme Court-mandated panel declared a public health emergency in Delhi-NCR.
According to official data, the overall AQI in Delhi was 427 at 6.30 am. In Delhi’s Anand Vihar, the AQI stood at 464 followed by 443 in Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium and Okhla Phase 2.
Pollution levels in the satellite towns of Ghaziabad (496), Greater Noida (496), and Noida (499) were much worse.
On Friday, Delhi recorded its worst air quality of the season after the pollution level touched the ‘severe plus’ category.
Stubble burning continues in Haryana’s Kaithal; Air quality in Delhi continues to be in ‘Severe’ category.
In the National Capital Region (NCR), Ghaziabad and Greater Noida had an AQI of 496 at 4 pm, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said. In the NCR, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida had an AQI of 496 at 4 pm, the CPCB said.
An AQI between 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500.
The share of stubble burning in Delhi’s pollution stood at 46 per cent on Friday, the highest so far, according to the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ air quality monitor SAFAR.
In wake of a spike in pollution level, the Delhi government on Friday decided to shut all schools till November 5 after a Supreme Court-mandated panel declared a public health emergency in Delhi-NCR.
As the air quality deteriorated and the pollution level in the region entered the “severe plus” category”, the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority banned construction activity till November 5 and bursting of crackers during the winter season.
Prasanta Patnaik