Delhi: Delhi residents woke up to ‘severe’ air quality on Thursday morning (November 14), a day after the national capital recorded the worst AQI in the country, with dense fog blanketing the NCR, reducing visibility. On Wednesday, the Air Quality Index (AQI) turned ‘severe’ for the first time this season, even as the central pollution watchdog attributed the deterioration to an “unprecedentedly dense” fog and described it as an “episodic event”.
The AQI in Delhi’s Anand Vihar was recorded at 473 (‘severe plus’) at 5am on Thursday, according to the data by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Aya Nagar, Ashok Vihar and Wazirpur recorded the worst air quality in Delhi, with air quality crossing over 400, which falls under the severe category.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), however, opted not to enforce Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which includes measures like halting in-person classes for primary schools and imposing a blanket ban on construction activities.
Data from the CPCB showed that the AQI, which averaged 418 at 4pm, worsened to 436 (in the “severe” category) by 6pm and escalated to 454 (reaching “severe plus”) by 9pm on Wednesday.
