Delhi remained shrouded in a thick toxic haze on Monday, with the city’s overall AQI at 345, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category.
The minimum temperature dropped to 10.4°C — the lowest this season — as the IMD forecast shallow fog and a maximum of around 28°C
Delhi Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in ‘very poor’ category as a thick layer of toxic haze engulfed the capital on Monday morning, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
At 9 am, the national capital’s overall AQI was recorded at 345, CPCB data showed. On Sunday, citizens had gathered at India Gate to protest government's inaction over the pollution issue that persists in the city year after year.
On Monday, data from the Sameer app indicated that Bawana registered ‘severe’ air quality with an AQI of 411, followed by Wazirpur at 397. Of the 38 monitoring stations, one (Bawana) reported ‘severe’ levels, while 33 others recorded ‘very poor’ air quality.
The city’s air quality had plunged sharply on Sunday morning, touching this season’s worst level of 391 before showing slight improvement later in the day. By 4 pm, the overall AQI stood at 370, placing Delhi in the ‘red zone’, CPCB data showed.
Since Diwali, a blanket of smog has persisted over the city, with the air quality fluctuating between the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ categories, and occasionally slipping into the ‘severe’ range.
On Monday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 10.4 degrees Celsius — 3.9 degrees below the seasonal average and the lowest so far this season, breaking Saturday’s 11 degrees.
Under CPCB standards, an AQI between 0–50 is classified as ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’, and 401–500 ‘severe’.
Several people were detained on Sunday for protesting at India Gate over worsening air quality, a move that was criticised by Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, asking why citizens peacefully demanding clean air were being treated like "criminals".
Gandhi said, "The right to clean air is a basic human right. The right to peaceful protest is guaranteed by our Constitution. Why are citizens who have been peacefully demanding clean air being treated like criminals?" He added that air pollution was affecting crores of Indians and harming children and the nation's future.
He accused the government, which he said came to power through "vote chori", of indifference. "It simply doesn't care, nor is it even attempting to solve this crisis," he said.
