The overall air quality index (AQI) in Delhi was in the 'very poor' category on Sunday and deteriorated to the 'severe category' in some areas. The AQI in Delhi stood at 367 at 9 AM and it improved to 352 at 4 PM.
Data showed Anand Vihar (AQI 449) was the most polluted place in the capital, followed by NSIT Dwarka station reported the AQI of 412, Jahangir Puri- 409, Vivek Vihar – 408, and Wazirpur – 401.
However, out of the total 34 station, ,most of the stations in the city recorded the AQI in the ‘Very poor’ category are Alipur-384, Ashok Vihar 396 R K Puram 354, Bawana- 393, DTU – 389, , Narela – 388, Shadipur – 389, ITO – 350, Mundka - 398, Nehru Nagar - 363, Patparganj -374, Punjabi Bagh - 354, and Sonia Vihar – 383,” data stated. The air quality in the neighbouring cities of Ghaziabad (344), Noida (342), Greater Noida (321), Gurugram (327) and Faridabad (382) also recorded "very poor" AQI on Sunday.
The 24-hour average AQI on Saturday was 397, the worst since January. It was 354 on Thursday, 271 on Wednesday, 302 on Tuesday and 312 on Monday (Diwali).
V K Soni, head of the India Meteorological Department's Environment Monitoring and Research Centre, said a layer of smog lingered over the Delhi-NCR on Saturday amid adverse meteorological conditions and it is likely to persist for two more days. Some respite is likely from Tuesday. SAFAR, a forecasting agency under Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, said that the share of stubble burning in Delhi's pollution rose to 21 per cent on Saturday, the highest this year. SR
It may increase up to 40 per cent on Sunday and push the air quality into the severe zone, Gufran Beig, the founder project director of SAFAR said. Meanwhile, the Delhi Fire Services on Sunday said it has begun sprinkling water at 13 hotspots to combat rising air pollution in the city. Officials said a fire tender with a four-member crew has been deployed at each spot to sprinkle water to curb pollution. "Due to high pollution levels, Delhi Fire Service has been asked to sprinkle water in the capital preferably at or around hotspot area. As ordered, 13 fire tenders have been deputed so far," Atul Garg, Director, DFS. The 13 identified pollution hotspots include Narela, Anand Vihar, Mundka, Dwarka, Punjabi Bagh, R K Puram, Bawana, Rohini Sector-16, Okhla, Jahangirpuri, Wazirpur and Mayapuri, officials said.
