Delhi: The air quality remain in the 'Critical' category

The government has shut down all primary schools...

Delhi: The air quality continued to remain in the 'critical' category on Monday morning, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR)-India.

As per SAFAR data at 7 a.m., the overall air quality in the national capital Delhi (Overall) stood in the 'critical' category with an AQI of 471.

AQI in Delhi University recorded an AQI of 473, while the airport at Terminal 3 noted an AQI of 559, Noida at 616, IIT Delhi at 517, and Gurugram at 516, all in the 'critical' range, as per SAFAR data at 7 am.

Areas like Pusa and Lodhi Road recorded AQI levels of 407 and 450, respectively, both categorized as ‘severe’ category. As per Central Pollution Control Board data, AQI recorded at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium was 409.

Nevertheless, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) displayed an “Insufficient data for computing AQI" for Anand Vihar's AQI.

Unfavourable weather conditions, coupled with factors like vehicle emissions, the burning of paddy straw, firecrackers, and various local sources of pollution, collectively contribute to the annual winter air quality crisis in Delhi-NCR, report says.

As reported by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in New Delhi, a record-high number of 4,160 farm fires were recorded in northern India on Sunday, marking the highest count for this season.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), has requested Delhi and the states in the National Capital Region (NCR) to implement a ban on construction activities associated with linear public projects and enable 50 per cent of government and private office employees to work remotely.

The Transport Department has dispatched 18 teams to ensure compliance with the imposed restrictions, as per reports from authorities.

We will deploy four to five more teams to enforce the fresh restrictions. The department has a total of 114 enforcement teams, in an official statement government said.

The Delhi government has made the decision to shut down all primary schools for a period of two days in order to protect young children from the harmful effects of pollution.