Delhi Chokes: AQI Hits Season High of 391, Stage 3 Pollution Curbs Still Unactivated

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Delhi's air quality has reached a season high of 391 on Sunday morning, narrowly avoiding the 'severe' category. Despite this, the Commission for Air Quality Management has yet to invoke Stage 3 measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). According to the Central Pollution Control Board's Sameer app, 23 out of 39 active air quality monitoring stations were in the 'severe' category, with Rohini and Wazirpur recording the highest AQIs of 435 and 434, respectively. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has urged residents to reduce their carbon footprint by carpooling, using public transport, and working from home. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee has denied allegations of faulty data, citing an improvement in AQI in the first week of November compared to last year. Stage 3 of GRAP, which would trigger stricter pollution control rules, was set to be invoked at an AQI of 400. However, with the current reading at 391, the threshold is still not breached. The original threshold of 400 for Stage 3 of GRAP is set to be breached soon. In the meantime, Delhi's minimum temperature has dropped to 11.6°C, three degrees below normal. Cold northwesterly winds are expected to continue, with stubble smoke intrusion forecast to contribute over 32% to Delhi's PM2.5 levels on Sunday. The Delhi and NCR state governments are yet to implement Stage 3 measures, which would include restrictions on private vehicles, construction, and industrial activities, as well as a ban on non-essential diesel-operated vehicles.