There was no respite from the toxic haze in the capital on Monday as Delhi continued to breathe noxious air for the 11th consecutive day. The city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 398, a slight deterioration from Sunday’s level, while several monitoring stations reported readings in the severe category.
At 6:00 AM, Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 442, placing it firmly in the strict range. Other hot spots like Bawana (439), Ashok Vihar (436), Jahangirpuri (455) and Punjabi Bagh (423) also recorded severe pollution levels.
In the neighboring NCR region, Noida slipped into the severe category with an AQI of 431, while Greater Noida recorded an AQI of 354, categorized as very poor. Ghaziabad also continued to struggle with toxic air, reporting a serious AQI of 439.
Gurugram was also classified in the very poor category with an AQI of 351, while Faridabad fared comparatively better at 269.
What are the key measures to curb rising pollution?
Authorities have proposed several steps to improve air quality. These include maintaining an uninterrupted supply of electricity to discourage the use of diesel generators, deploying additional staff to regulate traffic at major congestion points, and issuing pollution alerts through newspapers, television and radio. The public transport network is also being strengthened with more CNG and electric buses, increased service frequency and differentiated fares to encourage off-peak travel.
Which curbs have moved from stage III to stage II?
Some measures that were previously only activated when air quality reached the “very poor” category in Phase III will now be implemented in Phase II. These include staggered working hours for government offices in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar. The Center is also considering implementing similar staggered timing for its own offices in the region.
What restrictions will come into effect earlier in Phase III?
Measures previously only applicable in Phase IV – designed for heavy pollution levels – will now come into effect in Phase III. These include allowing public, municipal and private offices to operate with 50% staff attendance, with the remaining staff working from home.
What are the instructions issued by Delhi government to private offices?
As a precautionary measure, the Delhi government has ordered private offices to operate with 50 percent of employees on-site and allow the remaining employees to work from home.
