Thick smog blankets Delhi-NCR, air quality index crosses 400-mark
Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) woke up to a thick blanket of smog on Wednesday, drastically reducing visibility. The air quality index (AQI) in Delhi crossed the 400 mark, taking it to the "severe" category. Neighboring areas such as Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram reported "poor" AQI levels while Faridabad recorded a "moderate" AQI of 188.
Hazardous AQI levels and main pollutants identified
The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said that Anand Vihar in Delhi recorded an AQI of 393 at 5:00am. Swiss group IQAir said that Delhi's AQI reached a hazardous level of 1133, with PM2.5 being the main pollutant. The smog, worsened by fog and mist, is likely to continue till the evening hours.
Anti-pollution measures and stubble burning incidents
The second stage of the Graded Response Action Plan continues to be in force in Delhi, including measures like mechanical sweeping and water sprinkling on roads. Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is often blamed for the increase in pollution levels during this time of the year. In Punjab alone, 83 new farm fires were reported, taking the total to 7,112.
Air pollution disrupts flights and raises health concerns
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar missed a conference in Ludhiana as his flight could not land due to poor visibility. His plane was diverted to Amritsar from where he went to another event in Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has flagged health risks for children in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province as air pollution worsens.
Worsening air quality across India
Mumbai also witnessed a decline in air quality with a moderate AQI of 139. Areas such as Nanadeep Garden recorded an AQI of 306. In Haryana, cities such as Kaithal and Jind had AQIs of 291 and 272 respectively. Chandigarh recorded an AQI of 349 on Tuesday night. Authorities are now deploying anti-smog guns in Delhi to tackle the rising pollution levels.
