No respite for Delhi as air quality remains 'very poor'
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): With the Air Quality Index (AQI) reading 335, the national capital’s air remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Sunday morning, despite the slight improvement. The pollution hotspots in the city where AQI remains above the city's average showed a marginal improvement from Saturday’s readings too, but are yet nowhere close to the safe margins. On Saturday, some stations including Bawana, New Moti Bagh, Rohini, Vivek Vihar, and Wazirpur recorded 'severe' pollution levels with AQI exceeding 400. An AQI between zero 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’.
However, in a step to mitigate the effects of unhealthy air, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), tasked with improving air quality in Delhi-NCR, has directed intensified actions to remove highly polluting end-of-life (EoL) vehicles (petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years) still reported to be plying in Delhi. A meeting was headed by the CAQM Chairperson to review the progress and effectiveness of the actions being implemented under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), particularly in air pollution hotspots and other designated priority areas across Delhi. The importance of strict and uncompromising enforcement was underscored and it was emphasised that immediate and firm action must be taken against any violators, ensuring accountability at all levels.
The Commission underscored the need for a more proactive approach in dealing with complaints, as delays in resolving issues also hinder the effective implementation of air quality management measures. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been specifically instructed to comprehensively review the parking fee structure in public parking spaces in order to encourage the use of public transportation. The AQI readings in localities of Delhi stood at 356 in Alipur, 351 in Anand Vihar, 353 in Ashok Vihar, 343 in Aya Nagar, 383 in Bawana, 331 in Burari Crossing, 323 in Mathura Road, 341 in Dwarka Sector 8, 326 in IGI Airport, 328 in ITO, 370 in Jahangirpuri, 323 in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, 307 in Lodhi Road, 358 in Mundka, 341 in Najafgarh, 356 in Narela, 363 in Nehru Nagar, 328 in North Camp, 333 in NSIT Dwarka, 339 in Okhla Phase Two, 345 in Patparganj, 352 in Punjabi Bagh, 332 in Pusha, 366 in Rohini, 342 in Shadipur, 345 in Siri Fort, 354 in Vivek Vihar and 366 in Wazirpur.
