Today is the season's most polluted day in Delhi with "severe" air quality

Delhi's air quality is at its worst since January, with several parts of the National Capital Region reporting air quality in the "severe" category. The most recent prognosis indicates that it will get worse and stay in the "very poor" category for the next three days, which may result in health advisories.

Anand Vihar in Delhi, which is one of the most polluted places here, had an air quality index of 455 around four o'clock in the afternoon.

At 5 o'clock, the AQI in Delhi was 357 overall, 384 in Ghaziabad, 371 in Noida, 364 in Greater Noida, and 346 in Faridabad.

Not just Delhi, but 34 Indian cities, from Punjab to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, have "extremely bad" air quality.An AQI of 0 to 50 is regarded as "excellent," 51 to 100 as "acceptable," 101 to 200 as "moderate," 201 to 300 as "poor," 301 to 400 as "extremely poor," and 401 to 500 as "severe." According to experts, the direction and speed of the wind are to blame for the worsening in air quality, which is leading to the buildup of pollutants and a spike in agricultural fire events.

Due to a significant change in the weather, pollution levels during Diwali were the lowest in 7 years. Beginning on October 24, the AQI in the nation's capital began to decline, moving from the "poor" category to the "very poor" category.On the evening of October 23, pollution levels creeped up along with a decrease in wind speed and temperature, as well as from people setting off firecrackers and an increase in agricultural fires.

Since the wind will be so quiet and pollution will still be coming in from Punjab and Haryana, the pollutants will stay suspended for a longer period of time.

The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a series of anti-air pollution measures conducted in Delhi and the surrounding area in accordance with the severity of the situation in the capital, was put into effect by the subcommittee of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on October 19.

In Stage II of GRAP, coal and firewood are prohibited in lodging facilities, dining establishments, and outside food vendors.GRAP is divided into four stages based on the Delhi's air quality. Stage I is used for "poor" (AQI 201-300), Stage II is used for "extremely poor," Stage III is used for "severe" (AQI 401-450), and Stage IV is used for "severe plus" (AQI > 450) air quality.

Construction and demolition activities will be prohibited in the National Capital Region (NCR) if the situation progresses to Stage III, with the exception of projects that are absolutely necessary (such as railways, metros, airports, ISBTs, and projects important to the nation's security or defence).

Under Stage III, it will also be illegal to operate brick kilns, hot mix plants, stone crushers that don't use clean fuels, or to engage in mining or related operations in the NCR.Stage III limits on BS-III gasoline and BS-IV diesel light motor vehicles (four-wheelers) may also be imposed by the state governments in Delhi-NCR.