Delhi’s air quality deteriorated sharply ahead of Diwali, with the national capital’s overall Air Quality Index touching 451 at 8 am on Tuesday, while Stage-II restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan came into force across the National Capital Region.
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board showed that several monitoring stations in Delhi recorded air quality in the severe category, while many other locations reported very poor conditions. Rohini recorded the city’s highest station-level AQI at 429, followed by Punjabi Bagh at 424 and Bawana at 408.
Other areas also reported elevated pollution levels. Patparganj recorded an AQI of 379, followed by R K Puram at 374, ITO at 373, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at 355, Okhla Phase-2 and Chandni Chowk at 352 each, and Jawaharlal Nehru University at 328.
The comparatively lower readings remained within the poor category. The AQI at Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 3 was 287, while Anand Vihar recorded 279, Uttam Nagar 274 and IMD Lodhi Road 226.
The Commission for Air Quality Management invoked Stage-II of GRAP across the entire NCR on Monday in response to the worsening pollution levels. The measures came into immediate effect and were added to restrictions already operating under Stage-I.
Delhi Police conducted a checking drive at the Ghazipur border as restrictions on vehicle entry were enforced. Municipal corporations, traffic police and pollution control boards in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have been directed to increase enforcement under the enhanced action plan.
The measures include daily mechanical or vacuum sweeping and water sprinkling mixed with dust suppressants on heavy-traffic corridors and at congestion points. Authorities have been asked to complete these activities before peak traffic hours, when road dust and vehicle movement can add to local pollution loads.
Inspections and remedial action will also be intensified at identified pollution hotspots and construction and demolition sites across the NCR. The directions place enforcement responsibilities across multiple agencies, reflecting the regional spread of the air-quality problem beyond Delhi’s municipal boundaries.
The latest readings come before Diwali, a period when authorities typically increase monitoring and enforcement of pollution-control measures. The CAQM’s Stage-II order will remain the operative framework for the additional actions now being implemented across the NCR.
