Delhi AQI Turns Severe at 403 on 13 November; IIT Delhi Hits 488
Delhi slid from very poor to severe overnight, so GRAP Stage III curbs on construction and mining stay in force and residents face the worst air this season.
Image: Sajjad Hussain / AFP (file photo)
Delhi’s air slipped into the “severe” category on Friday morning, with the city’s average Air Quality Index at 403 at 8:05 am on 13 November, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data from the Sameer app, as reported by Scroll. A day earlier, at 7 am on 12 November, the AQI stood at 321.
Of the 58 active monitoring stations, 28 recorded readings above 400. The IIT Delhi station had the worst reading in the city at 488. Neighbouring Noida was also in the severe band at 474, while Gurugram (352), Ghaziabad (369) and Greater Noida (351) stayed in the “very poor” category at the same hour.
Private Monitors Show a Worse Picture
Private monitors paint a harsher picture than the CPCB’s average. AQI.in reported an average of 594, in the “hazardous” range, at 7:30 am. It also showed localised spikes above 800 at Railway Colony in south Delhi and at Rameshwar Nagar and Samaypur in north Delhi. The same platform ranked 86 of the world’s 100 most polluted cities as Indian. IPB has reported earlier on why CPCB and private app readings differ.
Also read Delhi AQI 368 After Diwali: 15 Stations Hit Severe, Burari at 441
GRAP Stage III Has Been Running Since 6 November
The Commission for Air Quality Management put Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in force on 6 November, as a precaution when the AQI neared the severe mark. It bars non-essential construction and shuts stone crushers and mining activity. Yesterday’s reading of 321 is covered in IPB’s 12 November report, and the running coverage sits under the Delhi air pollution tag.
No Word Yet on a Stage IV Review
Scroll’s report did not mention any decision to move to a higher GRAP stage. The commission has not announced a review in the material available at the time of writing. Gurugram’s tandoor ban under the revised rules is explained in this IPB story.
Source: Based on reporting by Scroll, citing CPCB data from the Sameer app and AQI.in.
Image: Sajjad Hussain / AFP (file photo), via Scroll.
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