Delhi's Air Quality Remains in "Very Poor" Category for Third Straight Day
Delhi's air quality continues to deteriorate, remaining in the "very poor" category for a third consecutive day, with an average AQI of 304 recorded on Tuesday. This is the seventh day this month that the city's air quality has been classified as "very poor". The government is gearing up for a possible cloud seeding attempt, but the decision will be made based on the prevailing meteorological conditions.
Key Takeaways:
- The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded an average AQI of 304 at 10am and 301 at 4pm on Tuesday.
- This is the seventh "very poor" air day in Delhi this month.
- The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) on October 19 when the AQI crossed 300.
- Grap's Stage 1 focuses on dust mitigation at construction sites, waste management, and reducing emissions, while Stage 2 restricts the entry of inter-state buses (other than EVs / CNG / BS-VI diesel) into Delhi.
- Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa announced that the government would attempt cloud seeding on Tuesday if conditions were deemed ideal.
Statistics:
- Average AQI in Delhi on Tuesday: 304 (very poor)
- Average AQI in Delhi at 4pm on Tuesday: 301 (very poor)
- Number of "very poor" air days in Delhi this month: 7
- Date when Grap's Stage 2 was invoked: October 19
- Average AQI at which Grap's Stage 2 is triggered: 300
- AQI classification:
+ Satisfactory: 51 to 100
+ Moderate: 101 to 200
+ Poor: 201 to 300
+ Very poor: 301 to 400
+ Severe: over 400
Sources:
- Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)
- Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)
- Hindustan Times, published by HT Digital Content Services with permission, October 28.