Smog Continues In Delhi Despite AQI Fall, Mumbai Sees Hazy Morning As Well

At 8 am, Delhi's AQI was recorded to be 274, however, smog continued to loom over the national capital.

Delhi’s air quality was reported to be in the “poor” category with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded to be 274 at 8 am on Tuesday. Despite this, the national capital was still covered in a thin layer of smog.

However, out of the 37 air quality monitoring stations in Delhi, 7 recorded air quality in the "very poor" category. These included Bawana, Jahangiripuri, Mundka, RK Puram, Rohini, Shadipur and Sirifort with an AQI of 304, 307, 320, 302, 301, 341, 304 respectively. Certain areas of Delhi like Akshardham temple, ITO, Anand Vihar, Delhi-Noida Direct Flyway, etc. saw that a layer of smog had engulfed the areas, which reduced visibility.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good,' 51 to 100 'satisfactory,' 101 to 200 'moderate,' 201 to 300 'poor,' 301 to 400 'very poor,' and 401 to 500 'severe.'

The Supreme Court ruled on Monday, that restrictions under Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-IV measures to curb air pollution will continue in Delhi even though the air quality showed a slight improvement.

Trains also continued to move amid the layer of haze on Tuesday morning. 

The beginning of December has brought some respite for the residents of Delhi, with relatively better air quality compared to November, when toxic air persisted on most days. Despite the little reduction, the AQI remains a concern. 

The Supreme Court, led by a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih further, said that it would hear the parties on December 5 on the possible modification of the restriction in the capital imposed as part of the GRAP-IV restrictions. 

The court clarified that it would allow relaxations only after observing a downward trend.

Meanwhile, in Mumbai, a thin layer of haze also covered the city as the air quality continued to deteriorate.