Delhi woke up to yet another day of toxic air on Wednesday as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed a hazardous 440, landing in the ‘severe’ category. With a minimum temperature of 4°C, dense fog enveloped the city, severely impacting visibility and making the already hazardous air quality even more dangerous.
By 7 am, the AQI stood at 442, marking a serious decline in air quality across the city. Several monitoring stations, however, reported an even worse AQI, slipping into the ‘severe-plus’ category, surpassing 450.
This spike in pollution is due to a significant drop in wind speed, which allowed local pollutants to concentrate in the atmosphere, trapping pollutants close to the ground.
The data from the Sameer app, which provides hourly AQI updates, showed 21 out of 37 stations in Delhi falling into the ‘severe-plus’ range. The low temperatures and deteriorating air quality are a cause for concern for residents, with doctors warning that breathing the city라이브 바카라 polluted air is equivalent to smoking up to 10 cigarettes a day.
The authorities have re-imposed Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) following the deteriorating air quality in Delhi.
Air quality in the National Capital Region (NCR) also worsened, with levels sliding into the 'Very Poor' category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), an AQI between 201-300 is considered 'poor,' while 301-400 is categorized as 'very poor,' and 401-450 as 'severe.'
The government has urged residents to take precautions such as wearing masks and limiting outdoor activities. Additionally, public and private offices have been advised to allow only 50 percent of staff to work from the office, with the rest working from home, to reduce exposure to the toxic air.
Cold wave sweeps North India
Cold wave conditions continue to impact various parts of northern and eastern India. In Jammu and Kashmir, temperatures plummeted well below freezing, with Srinagar recording a minimum temperature of minus 5.3°C.
Other regions such as Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana are also experiencing severe cold, with places like Faridkot (Punjab) recording minimum temperatures of 0°C.
Meanwhile, most places in Jharkhand recorded minimum temperature below 10 degrees Celsius on Tuesday with Kanke being the coldest in the state at 2.50°
IMD issues ‘orange alert’ in Tamil Nadu
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for “heavy to very heavy” rainfall in Chennai and three nearby districts, including Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, and Kanchipuram. The heavy rainfall is expected to continue on Thursday, as a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal intensifies.
