National capital chokes as air quality worsens; AQI at…, hits ‘severe’ levels in Anand Vihar, ITO and other areas
Delhi’s air quality witnessed a sharp deterioration on Saturday morning; The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 393 around 8 am, placing it in the “Very Poor” category, according to data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Delhi’s air quality witnessed a sharp deterioration on Saturday morning; The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 393 around 8 am, placing it in the “Very Poor” category, according to data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
This follows the continuation of poor air quality conditions observed on Friday. According to official data, the AQI was at 349 at around 4 pm on December 12. Parts of the national capital were surrounded by a thick layer of toxic smog, severely affecting visibility and causing inconvenience to residents.
As a result, many places in the capital were classified as ‘serious’. According to CPCB data, Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 436 and was enveloped in a thick blanket of toxic smoke. Other places like Ashok Vihar (435), ITO (425), DTU (426) and Nehru Nagar (427) recorded a ‘severe’ category, showing a severe decline in air quality. However, air quality varied across the city, with some areas recording AQI in the ‘Very Poor’ category. According to CPCB, Najafgarh recorded AQI of 312 while Shadipur recorded 375. Okhla Phase 2 and Dwarka Sector 8 recorded AQI of 400 and 394 respectively; This indicates slightly better air quality than other regions, but still reflects a decrease.
According to the AQI classification, 0-50 is ‘good’, 51-100 is ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 is ‘moderate’, 201-300 is ‘poor’, 301-400 is ‘very poor’ and 401-500 is ‘severe’.
Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Friday that her government was working on multiple fronts to effectively and sustainably control pollution in the capital. He stated that eliminating dust pollution is among the government’s top priorities. To achieve this goal, wall-to-wall roads are being built at an ‘accelerated’ pace in Delhi. According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), CM Gupta told the MLAs that significant funds amounting to several crores have been provided to ensure that there are no hurdles in road construction. He emphasized that pollution control cannot be achieved through government efforts alone; Active participation of the public is equally important. Citizens need to understand their role in reducing dust and smog and act accordingly.CM Rekha Gupta also noted that flying dust is a major contributor to pollution in Delhi; Therefore, wall-to-wall roads are an effective solution to provide long-term dust control on roadsides. He instructed the MLAs to ensure that all new construction or repair work adheres strictly to the wall-to-wall road pattern. He also announced that if additional funds were needed for this work, they would be provided immediately.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published directly from ANI)
