New Delhi: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 399 around India Gate this morning, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category. With the festival of Diwali fast approaching, people have already begun bursting firecrackers as evening sets in—this, despite the Supreme Court having issued specific guidelines regarding the use of firecrackers. Meanwhile, the administration and relevant authorities appear to have turned a blind eye to the situation.
Even before Diwali, the air quality in the national capital, Delhi, has reached the ‘very poor’ category. According to data released by the CPCB this morning, an AQI of 399 was recorded in the vicinity of India Gate—a level that falls under the ‘very poor’ classification. This reflects the escalating pollution levels in Delhi’s atmosphere.
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board indicates that air quality in several parts of the capital has fallen into the ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories—a deeply concerning trend. Specifically, the air quality around the AIIMS area has been recorded in the ‘severe’ category. On Nauroji Nagar Ring Road, the AQI reached 416, which also falls under the ‘severe’ category. In Anand Vihar, the AQI was recorded at 296, placing the air quality there in the ‘poor’ category. These figures highlight the widespread nature of pollution across various parts of Delhi. An AQI of 293 was recorded in the vicinity of Akshardham Temple.
According to the CPCB, Noida was the second most polluted city in the NCR region on Wednesday. Officials from the Board have stated that, as part of pollution control measures, construction activities will remain suspended from Thursday until November 20. Despite the implementation of GRAP-2 (Graded Response Action Plan Stage 2), violations of the regulations are occurring in various parts of the city. Furthermore, resources dedicated to curbing pollution appear to be limited. No, construction work is being carried out openly without adhering to the prescribed regulations. An Air Quality Index (AQI) of 309 was recorded in Greater Noida.
Kishan Singh, Assistant Engineer at the regional office of the Noida Pollution Control Board, stated that all construction activities will remain completely suspended from November 5 to November 20. Consequently, some relief from pollution is expected over the coming days. Strict action will be taken against those who fail to comply with the rules; they will be issued notices and subjected to financial penalties.
Key restrictions effective from today:
– Construction and demolition activities in open spaces are prohibited.
– This ban also applies to linear projects, such as highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, power transmission lines, pipelines, and telecommunication infrastructure.
Exemptions:
Projects of critical importance—including those related to railways, metro systems, airports, bus terminals (ISBT), hospitals, water supply, sanitation, and national security—are exempted from this ban.
AQI exceeds 692 in Ghaziabad
Air quality in Ghaziabad remained poor on Thursday, with an AQI of 692 recorded. Meanwhile, an AQI of 512 was recorded in Gurugram, and 667 in Faridabad. These figures have been released by AQI.in (AQI India).
