The air quality in the national capital deteriorated further on Sunday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) near AIIMS and the surrounding area reaching 421. This comes after Saturday’s citywide average AQI stood at 245, which falls under the ‘poor’ category. Meanwhile, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday described the worsening Delhi air pollution as “truly shocking” and urged both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to take urgent action.
The Delhi AQI on Sunday was recorded in the ‘severe’ category, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The spike marks a sharp escalation in pollution levels across Delhi within 24 hours.
Priyanka Gandhi, in a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stated that the pollution is like a “grey shroud”. She further added that the Centre and the state government should take immediate action into the matter
Returning to the Delhi air from Wayanad first, then Bachwara in Bihar is truly shocking. The pollution enveloping this city is like a grey shroud thrown over it,” Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi posted.
“It’s really about time all of us get together regardless of our political compulsions and do something about it. The central and state government need to act immediately, we will all support and cooperate with whatever actions they choose to take to mitigate this awful situation. Year after year the citizens of Delhi are subjected to this toxicity with no recourse,” she added.
“Those who suffer from respiratory issues, children who commute to school every day and senior citizens especially, need urgent intervention to clear the filthy smog we are all breathing. Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, Union Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, and PM Narendra Modi, please take immediate steps,” Gandhi continued.
Delhi AQI Today
As per the CPCB data, several monitoring stations across the capital recorded air quality in the ‘severe’ range, while some areas continued to report ‘very poor’ levels.
At 8 am, the AQI at key monitoring locations stood at Anand Vihar (298), Alipur (258), Ashok Vihar (404), Chandni Chowk (414), Dwarka Sector-8 (407), ITO (312), Mandir Marg (367), Okhla Phase-2 (382), Patparganj (378), Punjabi Bagh (403), RK Puram (421), Lodhi Road (364), Rohini (415), and Sirifort (403).
According to ANI, authorities have deployed truck-mounted water sprinklers and other dust control measures across several parts of the city to mitigate the rising pollution levels.
Delhi’s Measures To Control Air Pollution
To control the deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has banned the entry of all BS-III and below standard commercial goods vehicles that are not registered in Delhi from November 1.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has already announced the doubling of parking fees across the national capital after the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage II was invoked due to deteriorating AQI.
