Delhi second-most polluted city in India; AQI ‘severe’

New Delhi: Delhi’s air quality worsened further on Sunday, with an AQI of 441, making it the second-most polluted city in the country.

The city’s 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI), recorded at 4 pm daily, stood at 441, in the “severe” category. On Saturday, the AQI was 417.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), a “severe” AQI poses risks to healthy individuals and severely impacts those with pre-existing health conditions.

Four cities in the country recorded the AQI in the “severe” category. Bahadurgarh in Haryana topped the list with an AQI of 445, followed by Delhi (441), Bhiwani in Haryana (415) and Bikaner in Rajasthan (404), according to the CPCB’s data.

Of the 40 monitoring stations in the Capital, data from 34 provided by the CPCB showed that 32 stations recorded the air quality in the “severe” category, with AQI levels of above 400.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, 401 and 450 “severe” and above 450 “severe plus”.

With the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) restrictions coming into force in Delhi-NCR from Friday, a stringent ban has been imposed on construction and demolition activities, mining-related operations have been suspended, shifting to online classes for students up to Class 5 is being considered and daily water sprinkling on major roads has been mandated.

The GRAP for Delhi-NCR is divided into four stages of air quality — Stage 1 for “poor” air quality (AQI ranging from 201 to 300), Stage 2 for “very poor” air quality (AQI from 301 to 400), Stage 3 for “severe” air quality (AQI from 401 to 450) and Stage 4 for “severe plus” air quality (AQI above 450).

According to the Centre’s Decision Support System for Air Quality Management, vehicular emissions contributed approximately 15.8 per cent to Delhi’s pollution on Sunday. The system also reported that stubble burning was the main contributor to the capital’s air pollution on Saturday, accounting for 25 per cent of the total pollution.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Transport Department has impounded 2,234 overage vehicles between October 1 and November 15 as part of an ongoing drive.

The initiative, launched last month, aims to address the deteriorating air quality in the national Capital.

According to official data, the seized vehicles include 260 diesel four-wheelers that are over 10 years old, alongside 1,156 petrol two-wheelers and 818 petrol three and four-wheelers, all older than 15 years.

The campaign, which is set to continue until December, is part of a broader effort to enforce environmental regulations and reduce vehicular emissions.

In tandem with the crackdown, the Transport Department has rolled out an online portal to facilitate the scrapping, retrieval, or sale of seized vehicles.

The platform is designed to streamline the process, providing owners with a clear Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for managing overage vehicles.

The Transport Department has also issued directives to Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities (RVSFs) to adhere strictly to the 2024 guidelines for handling end-of-life vehicles, as mandated by a recent Delhi High Court order.

Non-compliance of the order could result in exclusion from the program, officials warned.

This drive follows a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that banned the operation of diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years in Delhi.

Additionally, a 2014 National Green Tribunal (NGT) order prohibits parking of vehicles over 15 years old in public places.

More than 55 lakh overage vehicles have been de-registered in Delhi, according to an October 10 public notice by the Transport Department.

To ensure effective enforcement, traffic police have also been directed to deploy four teams per municipal zone in coordination with the department’s enforcement wing.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea seeking enforcement of measures to curb air pollution in the national Capital.