Delhi Air Quality: NCR suffers; Noida slips to 'severe' category, AQI improves marginally in Delhi

Delhi Air Quality, Delhi air pollution level, AQI Delhi, Noida: Delhi's air quality improved marginally on Wednesday morning owing to relatively better meteorological conditions. Noida, which is part of the national capital region, recorded an AQI of 406 and slipped from ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category, while Gurugram's AQI continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category.

According to PTI report, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said that there is no immediate need to implement curbs, such as a ban on the entry of trucks and a closure of educational institutions, under the fourth stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi owing to deteriorating air quality.

On Saturday, Delhi's AQI rating moved into the "severe" category. The national capital's air quality getting worse, Delhi officials stopped all construction work and demolition until further orders.

Additionally, GRAP stage 3 was implemented in Delhi on Saturday as soon as the air quality deteriorated to a "severe" level.

An AQI of 400 or more is deemed "severe", and it can have an adverse effect on both healthy individuals and persons who already have medical conditions.

The citizens of Delhi stand to lose 10 years of life expectancy as a result of poor air pollution, according to the EPIC Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), which was published in June.

Uttar Pradesh | Air quality deteriorates in Delhi-NCR. Visuals from Noida where Air Quality Index (AQI) is 406 currently, in the 'Severe' category. pic.twitter.com/q1D68Qa7w2

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) November 2, 2022

Moreover, GRAP is a collection of anti-air pollution measures that are applied in the nation's capital and its surrounding areas based on the severity of the problem. It was first put into place in 2017.

There are four main levels it uses to categorise the air quality in the Delhi-NCR: Stage 1 is "poor" (AQI 201-300), Stage 2 is "extremely poor" (AQI 301-400), Stage 3 is "severe" (AQI 401-450), and Stage 4 is "severe plus" (AQI above 450).

Based on forecasts, this year restrictions on polluting activities are being put in place three days in advance.

The fourth level of the "severe plus" category can include measures like a prohibition on trucks entering Delhi, allowing 50% of employees in public, municipal, and commercial workplaces to work from home, closing educational institutions, and the plying of vehicles on an odd-even schedule.

{With PTI inputs}