Delhi’s air quality turns ‘severe’
New Delhi, Nov 12: With visibility low and pollution levels soaring, residents once again find themselves battling toxic smog that has become an all-too-familiar part of Delhi’s winter.
Authorities in Delhi have imposed stricter anti-pollution measures as Delhi’s air quality plunged into the “severe” category since yesterday for the first time this year, Press Trust of India reported.
The measures include restrictions on the movement of goods carriers in Delhi and surrounding areas, a ban on non-essential construction activity, and hybrid classes for primary school students.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 428 on Tuesday, a level that can affect even healthy people and seriously impact those with respiratory or heart conditions. The last time Delhi’s air quality was this poor was in December 2024, CPCB data showed. The BBC reported that on Wednesday, the city’s PM2.5 concentration, fine particulate matter that can penetrate deep into the lungs, reached 438, nearly 30 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s safe limit of 15, and about eight times higher than India’s national average.
Doctors have advised residents, especially children and the elderly, to remain indoors and use protective masks when venturing outside.
“The air quality has reached a level where even short-term exposure can trigger serious respiratory distress,” a Delhi-based pulmonologist told local media. Smog guns and water sprinklers have been deployed across the city in an attempt to reduce airborne dust. The Delhi government has activated Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which bans mining, stone crushing, and the movement of vehicles carrying dust-generating materials. Toxic smog during winter has become an annual ordeal for Delhi and parts of northern India. Experts say a mix of factors, including stagnant winds, industrial emissions, vehicular exhaust, plunging temperatures, use of crackers and seasonal stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana, contributes to the pollution spike.
