Delhi’s air quality turns poisonous; schools go into hybrid mode

New Delhi: Poisonous air once again returned to Delhi, with the air quality measured over 400 all over the city on Wednesday at around 7 am. The situation once again turned severe despite the implementation of Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The pollution levels in several areas of the national capital became in the ‘severe plus’ category. The air quality situation in some areas, such as Nehru Nagar (480), Alipur (471), Anand Vihar (481), CRRI Mathura Road (468), Jahangirpuri (468), and Rohini (466), is very poor.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered “good,” 51-100 “satisfactory,” 101-200 “moderate,” 201-300 “poor,” 301-400 “very poor,” 401-450 “severe,” and above 450 “severe plus.”

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The AQI of Delhi was recorded as severe plus category last time during mid-November. The deteriorating air quality once again forced authorities to reimpose Stage 4 of GRAP-4 on Monday night. During this measure, restrictions take place on construction activities and the entry of heavy vehicles into the city.

As per the experts, a significant drop in wind speeds is the primary reason for the sudden rise in pollution levels in Delhi. The lower speed allowed local pollutants to concentrate in the atmosphere. Schools have been turned to hybrid mode except for classes 10 and 12, amid worsening air quality and smog.