Delhi air quality hits ‘severe’ as 22 monitoring stations record toxic levels

Delhi continued to struggle with hazardous air quality on Sunday, as 22 out of 39 monitoring stations recorded AQI levels in the ‘severe’ category. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) Sameer app, the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital stood at 391, placing it in the ‘very poor’ range.

The worst pollution levels were reported from Bawana, with an AQI of 438, followed closely by Jahangirpuri (436), Rohini (435), Wazirpur (430), Mundka (428), and Burari Crossing (428). Other severely polluted areas included Nehru Nagar (425), Patparganj (424), RK Puram (423), Vivek Vihar (423), ITO (421), Narela (418), and CRRI Mathura Road (416). Several localities, including Punjabi Bagh, Ashok Vihar, Sonia Vihar, Alipur, Anand Vihar, Chandni Chowk, and Okhla Phase-2, recorded AQI readings above 400, indicating extreme health risks.

In contrast, NSIT Dwarka reported the lowest AQI at 198, falling within the ‘moderate’ category. Other relatively better readings included IHBAS, Dilshad Garden (263), and Lodhi Road (307), classified as ‘poor.’

Since Diwali, Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) have consistently recorded poor air quality, with levels remaining in the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ categories. Despite Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) being in effect, authorities have yet to enforce Stage III measures, which would impose stricter pollution control.

Areas recording ‘very poor’ air included North Campus (399), Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (391), Mandir Marg (390), Dwarka Sector-8 (388), Pusa (380), Lodhi Road (376), Sri Aurobindo Marg (371), Aya Nagar (366), Shadipur (359), Najafgarh (357), and IGI Airport (360).

CPCB data also highlighted that Noida and Ghaziabad recorded their worst October air quality in five years. Noida’s average AQI was 236, while Ghaziabad averaged 227, exceeding levels from the past four years.