Delhi Air Pollution: Toxic air and hazy smog are back in the national capital as air quality dipped to the 'Severe' category with the air quality index (AQI) breaching the 400 mark at several places across the city on Tuesday morning. Visuals from Kartavya Path show people out on their morning routine as thick smog continues to cover the entire area. According to the data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), areas like RK Puram, Jahangirpuri, Punjabi Bagh and IGI Airport (T3) among others have an AQI of over 400.
AQI in RK Puram is at 417, in Punjabi Bagh at 410, in ITO at 430, IGI Airport at 430 and in Jahangirpuri at 428. Air pollution in the city began worsening after Diwali due to the bursting of crackers despite a ban on the same by the Supreme Court. A spell of rain before Diwali has brought some respite from severe pollution making air quality before the festival of lights the best in the last eight years. However, on the night of Diwali, the air quality began deteriorating.
The concentration of fine, lung-damaging particles known as PM2.5 rose by 45 per cent on Diwali as compared to 2022, said the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
On Monday, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the bursting of crackers in the national capital on Diwali. Rai alleged that firecrackers were brought to Delhi from UP and Haryana and the police in these states are under the control of the saffron party.
In neighbouring Noida, AQI stood at 396 (Very Poor) while in Ghaziabad air quality index is at 380 (Very Poor). In Gurugram's sector-51, air quality was recorded to be in the 'Severe' category with an AQI of 430 and the same is the case in Faridabad where the AQI was at 429 in New Industrial Town observatory as of 7 am, according to CPCB.
The air pollution menace is not limited to the national capital and adjoining regions as Mumbai recorded a 'Moderate' air quality with AQI 125, as per SAFAR India data. According to CPCB, the Bandra Kurla complex had a worse number with AQI of 155 while Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport's AQI stood at 158.
Kolkata also recorded 'Moderate' air quality on Tuesday morning, as of 7 am data of the CPCB. Chennai in Tamil Nadu recorded an AQI of 195 (Moderate).