Delhi AQI in 'severe' category again, government calls emergency meeting
What's the story
Delhi's air quality deteriorated on Wednesday again, as the overall air quality index (AQI) reached 421 at 7:00am, marking a return to the "severe" category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
This decline occurred just a day after a slight improvement on Tuesday when the AQI was classified as "very poor."
Meanwhile, Delhi's Environment Minister Gopal Rai called a high-level meeting on Wednesday to ensure compliance with the Supreme Court's pollution-related orders.
Context
Why does this story matter?
This comes a day after the Supreme Court slammed the Delhi government over air pollution and issued certain directives.
Delhi remains India's most polluted city and tops the global rankings of polluted cities, posing serious health risks to residents.
A combination of factory emissions, vehicle emissions, and smoke from stubble burning increases Delhi's pollution significantly every winter.
Amid severe AQI levels, the government implemented GRAP IV measures banning the entry of trucks into Delhi and construction activities, among other measures.
Details
Smog tower to become operational soon
On Tuesday, the SC summoned Delhi Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) Chairman Ashwani Kumar for allegedly closing two smog towers in the city and ordered their immediate reactivation.
One of the smog towers located in Delhi's Connaught Place is expected to be operational shortly.
Officials from the maintenance and service department arrived at the locked smog tower.
Constructed in 2021, the 24-meter-high tower can purify 1,000 cubic meters of air per second within a one-kilometer radius.
What Next?
Air quality index reaches hazardous levels
Nearly all monitoring stations in Delhi reported AQI levels in the "severe" category, with Anand Vihar's AQI skyrocketing to an alarming 999 at 10:00pm last night, entering the "hazardous" category.
In the National Capital Region (NCR), Greater Noida was deemed the "most polluted" with an AQI of 474, while Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad registered air quality in the "very poor" category at 6:00am.
Mumbai recorded a "moderate" AQI, with Bandra Kurla Complex registering an AQI of 200.
Insights
Supreme Court directs states to address air pollution
The SC admonished the governments of Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan for failing to stop stubble burning.
It asked Punjab to cease agricultural fires and instructed the central government to assist states in "shifting to an alternative crop (to paddy)" to prevent such fires.
Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul declared, "I don't know you have got all the officers... we have zero patience level on this...".
The court also reiterated the firecracker ban across the country, not just in Delhi.