With Inputs From ANI.
The air quality in the national capital remains in the “very poor” category, with the AQI recorded at 304 on Thursday at 6 a.m., according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). A slight improvement in AQI was observed when it dropped to the “poor” category on Tuesday. However, it slipped back into the “very poor” category on Wednesday and continues to remain in that range. Several areas in Delhi are still in the “severe” category for air pollution. With deteriorating air quality, smog continues to engulf the Delhi-NCR region. The area around India Gate also remains covered in smog, with the AQI in the severe category. High-rise buildings in the area are engulfed in smog, reducing their visibility to the naked eye.
AQI in parts of Delhi: Mundka (370), Anand Vihar (359), Jahangirpuri (357), Dwarka-Sector 8 (333), Wazirpur (333), Vivek Vihar (330), Rohini (320), RK Puram (313), Aya Nagar (311), Okhla Phase-2 (301).
Residents Call For Stricter Measures
While the Delhi government has assured that effective measures will be taken to combat the rising air pollution levels, residents of Delhi are demanding stricter actions. They have complained about how air pollution is affecting their daily activities, including their inability to step outside for morning walks.
Nidhi gupta, a resident of Delhi told ANI, “In Delhi, pollution is not happening for the first time. It happens every year. It happens every month, every 20 days. When the weather changes and the weather settles in, then pollution does happen. And the people of Delhi who have medical issues, have a problem, but the rest of the people have only been blown out of proportion. We live in Delhi. I am running for six, or seven years now with a very famous running group in Delhi. Our coaches take all the precautions in this weather. But because of that, we sit at home and stop doing anything else. We stop our morning activities and sit at home.”
One Delhi resident said that vehicles should be reduced on the road given current weather conditions, and for children and elderly people, I would say that the online classes are going well. And they should continue. And for the elderly people, the weather is not good, it is polluted. So try to stay in areas where there are more trees and walking is needed. The stubble burning should also be stopped, like in thermal plants, blocks are used instead of coal for burning. The Haryana government has given subsidies to it our government should also bring provisions in such a way that people will stop burning stubble burning.
Construction workers in Delhi also staged a protest near Raj Niwas on Wednesday, and demanded compensation for the loss of income due to the anti-pollution measures.