Delhi’s air quality index(AQI) continues to remain in “severe” category as the national capital woke up to fog-like conditions on Friday.
Delhi continues to inhale “toxic air as unfavourable meteorological conditions hindered the dispersion of pollutants.
As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), places like Anand Vihar, RK Puram, IGI Airport and Dwarka reported AQI figures crossing the 400-mark.
The average AQI in Anand Vihar was recorded at 447, the CPCB data showed at 5am, with PM2.5 remaining the prominent pollutant.
The AQI clocked at 465 in RK Puram, 467 at the IGI Airport and 490 in Dwarka, the CPCB data showed.
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In some respite for the residents of Noida and Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, the air quality stayed in the 'very poor' (still very unhealthy) category, the data showed.
The CPCB website showed Noida Sector-125's AQI of 352, while the AQI was recorded at 314 in Knowledge Park - III in Greater Noida.
In Haryana's Gurugram, there seems to be no respite in sight for the residents as the AQI stood at 444 in Sector-51 at 5am, the CPCB data showed.
Delhi's 24-hour average AQI, recorded at 4pm every day, stood at 419 on Thursday. It was 401 on Wednesday, 397 on Tuesday, 358 on Monday and 218 on Sunday, 220 on Saturday and 279 on Friday.
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Neighbouring Ghaziabad (376), Gurugram (363), Greater Noida (340), Noida (355) and Faridabad (424) also recorded very poor to severe air quality.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), calm winds and low temperatures are allowing accumulation of pollutants and relief is unlikely over the next few days.
MeT said an improvement in the wind speed November 21 onwards might bring air pollution levels down.
Despite the Delhi government implementing stringent measures, including a ban on construction work and the entry of diesel-guzzling trucks into the city, to control pollution, the city's air quality dropped over the last few days.
Experts believe, breathing in the polluted air of Delhi is equivalent to the harmful effects of smoking approximately 10 cigarettes a day. Prolonged exposure to high levels of pollution can cause or exacerbate respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and dramatically raise the risk of cardiovascular disease.
On Thursday, the Delhi government set up a six-member special task force to ensure strict implementation of the Centre's air pollution control plan GRAP in the national capital, environment minister Gopal Rai said.
Lieutenant governor VK Saxena came down heavily on the AAP governments in Punjab and Delhi on Thursday, alleging that the former is playing "truant" on the issue of stubble burning and the latter involved in "over-hyped events" like the odd-even road-rationing scheme, while the national capital is gasping for breath due to alarming levels of air pollution.
Setting the stage for a fresh confrontation between the LG's office and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dispensation in Delhi, Saxena asserted that blaming others for the pollution problem will not help and the solution lies within the city itself.
