National
Delhi Pollution : Air Quality Slips To Very Poor Category , CPCB Issues Grim Status Of Air ; Bans entry of goods vehicles below BS-IV norms
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city’s average Air Quality Index stood at 303 at 4 pm, indicating a sharp decline in air quality.
Delhi’s air quality worsened , slipping into the ‘very poor’ category, with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 303 compared to 218 recorded the day before.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the city’s average Air Quality Index stood at 303 at 4 pm, indicating a sharp decline in air quality.
Wazirpur reported the highest pollution level in the city with an AQI of 383, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category, according to data on the CPCB’s Sameer app.
Out of 38 monitoring stations in the national capital, 26 recorded air quality in the ‘very poor’ category (above 300), while the remaining stations fell in the ‘poor’ category (below 300).
According to the CPCB classification, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’.
The maximum temperature was recorded at 30.5 degrees Celsius, three notches below the seasonal average, while the minimum settled at 19.4 degrees Celsius, 3.3 notches above normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The humidity level stood at 73 per cent at 5.30 pm.
Additionally, the IMD has forecast shallow fog for Sunday morning, with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to hover around 31 and 18 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Meanwhile , The transport department and traffic police teams were deployed at the national capital’s borders on Saturday as the ban on the entry of all non-Delhi registered commercial goods vehicles compliant with BS-III or lower emission standards came into force in the city.
The transport department, in collaboration with the traffic police, has formed 23 teams for enforcement purposes, officials said.
The 23 locations where the teams have been deployed include Kundli border, Rajokri border, Tikri border, Aya Nagar border, Kalindi Kunj border, Auchandi border, Mandoli, Kapashera and Bajghera toll/Dwarka Expressway, etc, they said.
According to the officials, an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 vehicles are below BS-IV emission standards.
There will be no restrictions on the entry of commercial goods vehicles registered in Delhi, BS-VI compliant vehicles, or vehicles running on CNG, LNG, or electricity.
In a meeting on October 17, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) approved a sweeping ban on the entry of polluting commercial vehicles into Delhi from November 1, amid the city’s pollution woes. –