Delhi-NCR remained engulfed in dense smog on Sunday morning, with air quality slipping deeper into the ‘severe’ zone despite the enforcement of Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), official data showed.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the national capital recorded an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 461 at 7 am, firmly placing it in the ‘severe’ category. Thick haze reduced visibility across several parts of the city, including Ghazipur, ITO and Anand Vihar, as toxic smog continued to blanket the region.
CPCB data showed that multiple monitoring stations across Delhi reported ‘severe’ air quality levels. Bawana registered the highest AQI at 497, followed closely by Narela at 492 and Okhla Phase 2 at 474. NSIT Dwarka recorded the lowest AQI among the monitored locations at 411, which still falls under the ‘severe’ category.
Anand Vihar remained one of the worst-affected areas, with CPCB reporting an AQI of 491 as a thick layer of smog lingered over the locality. Other hotspots witnessing a sharp deterioration in air quality included Ashok Vihar (493), DTU (495), ITO (483) and Nehru Nagar (479).
Air quality categorised as ‘good’ poses minimal or no health impact, while ‘satisfactory’ levels may cause mild discomfort to sensitive groups such as children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions. ‘Moderate’ pollution levels can trigger breathing difficulties among people with asthma, lung ailments or heart disease.
Prolonged exposure to ‘poor’ air quality can lead to breathing discomfort for most individuals, while ‘very poor’ air poses a heightened risk of respiratory illness even for healthy people. The ‘severe’ category, the most hazardous, is considered dangerous for all populations, particularly with sustained exposure
