Delhi's air turns toxic; schools shift hybrid, curbs tighten

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu); The air quality in Delhi worsened on Tuesday as the index fell in the "very poor" category. However, 18 monitoring stations recorded above 400 air quality index (AQI), placing the concerned areas in the "severe" category.According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), at 7.15 a.m., the average air quality index (AQI) was 395.In 18 areas of the national capital, the AQI level remained between 400 and above 500.

It was 415 in Alipore, 436 in Anand Vihar, 419 in Ashok Vihar, 403 in Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, 421 in Jahangirpuri, 412 in Major Dhyan Chand Stadium, 409 in Mandir Marg, 440 in Mundka, 413 in Narela, 419 in Nehru Nagar, 412 in Punjabi Bagh, 422 in Shadipur, 432 in Rohini, 424 in Sonia Vihar, 430 in Vivek Vihar, and 422 in Wazirpur.Whereas in 20 air monitoring stations of Delhi, the AQI level remained above 300 and between 400. It was 369 in Aya Nagar, 390 in Burari Crossing, 358 in Chandni Chowk, 360 in Mathura Road, 383 in DTU, 397 in Dwarka Sector 8, 368 in Airport, 357 in Dilshad Garden, 382 in ITO, 382 in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, 309 in Lodhi Road, 385 in Najafgarh, 385 in North Campus DU, 392 in Okhla Phase II, 372 in Pusa, 398 in RK Puram, 394 in Siri Fort, and 388 in Sri Aurobindo Marg.The other major NCR cities also witnessed a fall in the AQI levels. According to the CPCB, the average air quality index in Faridabad was 243, Gurugram was 339, Ghaziabad was 287, Greater Noida was 332 and Noida was 294.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good," 51-100 "satisfactory," 101-200 "moderate," 201-300 "poor," 301-400 "very poor," 401-450 "severe," and above 450 "severe plus", as per the CPCB.According to the Meteorological Department, Delhi had patches of shallow fog, and temperatures hovered at around 12 degrees Celsius in the morning.On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to relax the stringent curbs against air pollution under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).The GRAP measures include a ban on truck entry, except for those carrying essential items or using clean fuel like LNG, CNG, BS-VI diesel, or electric. Construction at public projects has been halted.