Delhi recorded an overall AQI of 391 at noon, nearing the severe category threshold of 400.
Rohini topped the list with an AQI of 474, followed by Punjabi Bagh and Jahangirpuri.
The Supreme Court flagged vehicle emissions and bumper-to-bumper traffic, calling for immediate and long-term measures to tackle pollution.
Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 391 at 12 pm on Friday, bringing it close to the 400 mark that would push it into the ‘severe’ category.
Hindustan Times (HT) Pollution Dashboard, which compiles average readings from monitoring stations reported by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), showed that pollution levels remained severe across several parts of the national capital.
The CPCB calculates each monitoring station’s hourly AQI using a running average of readings recorded over the preceding 24 hours. According to the HT Pollution Dashboard, 31 monitoring stations were in the ‘severe’ category, while another 28 recorded ‘very poor’ air quality.
Worst-Hit Monitoring Stations
Rohini recorded the highest AQI in Delhi at 474, followed by Punjabi Bagh at 465 and Jahangirpuri at 458. DTU registered an AQI of 454, while RK Puram recorded 450.
The other stations among the 10 most polluted areas were Mundka (446), Vivek Vihar (438), Sonia Vihar (436), Bawana (435) and Alipur (434).
SC Flags Vehicle Emissions
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday flagged vehicle emissions as a major contributor to air pollution in Delhi-NCR and called for immediate, medium-term and long-term measures to bring down pollution levels.
During a hearing in a suo motu case concerning measures to tackle air pollution, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana expressed concern over heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic across the national capital and neighbouring areas.
“We keep talking, sometimes make statements and suggestions, but the point is that AQI is already touching 400,” the Chief Justice of India told ANI.
The bench also drew attention to the large number of vehicles plying on roads connecting Delhi with neighbouring cities, including Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Faridabad.
“Look at the roads in Delhi and the roads connecting Delhi with the NCR. Take a look at any road and the kind of vehicles moving on them. That is the major problem,” the CJI said.
