Air Pollution Update: Delhi NCR continues to struggle with air pollution; ‘very bad’ to ‘bad’ AQI levels were recorded in several districts
Delhi Air Pollution News: Delhiites are struggling under the blanket of smog covering the city as the air quality remains in ‘severe’ to ‘severe’ categories in several parts in and around the National Capital Region (NCR). The national capital woke up to an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 428 (hard) at 9 am. The Environment Minister of Delhi, Gopal Rai, said that the Delhi government will take all necessary measures if the situation worsens due to bad weather. “We will strengthen all ongoing campaigns and measures to reduce pollution,” Rai said, adding that the Delhi government will ensure strict enforcement of pollution control measures under the second phase of the Phased Response Plan to address the deteriorating air quality in the city. The Environment Minister of Delhi also said that the third phase of the Plan will not be laid yet as the situation is expected to improve from Friday.
Summary of Air Quality Index (AQI) readings for several districts in and around NCR
AQI readings in many places in the national capital were in the critical phase at 3 pm on November 14, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
These include Indira Gandhi Airport, Ashok Vihar, Dwarka, RK Puram, Okhla, IPO, North Campus and Chandni Chowk.
Some of the districts where AQI levels were found to be in the ‘very poor’ category include Vasundhara and Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, and Sectors 1, 62 and 116 in Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
Check the data covering several states across NCR, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, as of 3 pm, Thursday:
| The channel | AQI | Section |
| Sector 8, Dwarka, Delhi | 472 | It’s difficult |
| Ashok Vihar, Delhi | 461 | It’s difficult |
| Wazirpur, Delhi | 460 | It’s difficult |
| Anand Vihar, Delhi | 458 | It’s difficult |
| Najafgarh, Delhi | 457 | It’s difficult |
| RK Puram, Delhi | 455 | It’s difficult |
| NSIT, Dwarka, Delhi | 453 | It’s difficult |
| IGI Airport (T3), Delhi | 448 | It’s difficult |
| Okhla Phase II, Delhi | 441 | It’s difficult |
| Narela, Delhi | 437 | It’s difficult |
| ITO, Delhi | 412 | It’s difficult |
| North Campus, DU, Delhi | 409 | It’s difficult |
| Chandni Chowk, Delhi | 402 | It’s difficult |
| Loni, Ghaziabad, UP | 399 | Very Poor |
| Lodhi Road, Delhi | 383 | Very Poor |
| Vasundhara, Ghaziabad, UP | 379 | Very Poor |
| Sector 62, Noida, UP | 376 | Very Poor |
| Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, UP | 366 | Very Poor |
| Pallavpuram Phase 2, Meerut, UP | 361 | Very Poor |
| Sector 116, Noida, UP | 345 | Very Poor |
| Sector 1, Noida, UP | 323 | Very Poor |
| Arya Nagar, Bahadurgarh, Haryana | 293 | Poor |
| Municipal Corporation Office, Dharuhera, Haryana | 293 | Poor |
| Sanjay Nagar, Ghaziabad, UP | 292 | Poor |
| Murthal, Sonipat, Haryana | 265 | Poor |
| Sardar Patel Inter College, Baghpat, UP | 242 | Poor |
| Sector 2 IMT, Manesar, Haryana | 228 | Poor |
| Ganga Nagar, Meerut, UP | 214 | Poor |
| MD University, Rohtak, Haryana | 192 | It’s in between |
| Shyam Nagar, Palwal, Haryana | 169 | It’s in between |
| (Source: airquality.cpcb.gov.in) | ||
What do the AQI categories ‘good’, ‘satisfactory’, ‘moderately polluted’, ‘poor’, ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ mean?
Here’s a breakdown of what the AQI reading says about air quality:
- 0-50 – Good
- 51-100 – It’s satisfying
- 101-200 – It’s in between
- 201-300 – Poor
- 301-400 – Very Poor
- 401-500 – It’s difficult
The Air Quality Index captures changes in air quality in a given area over a period of time covering several factors including the concentration of pollutants and their potential impact on health.
With input from agencies
