At 346 AQI, Delhi has 'most toxic' air in world
Samad Hoque
New Delhi, October 23
The air quality in the national capital saw an alarming increase in pollution level on Monday. The air quality index (AQI) rose to 346 in the early hours of the day, the highest among the 110 cities tracked by Swiss company IQ Air, making Delhi the most toxic city in the world on Monday. Earlier today, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai chaired a meeting with 28 departments concerned regarding the worsening air quality in the national capital. “As we suspected, the air quality in the next 20-25 days in Delhi can turn bad,” Rai told mediapersons. The AQI on Sunday entered the ‘very poor’ category deteriorating from 248 AQI on Saturday. The minimum temperature on Sunday also dipped to 15.6°C.
Gopal Rai, addressing the press conference after the meeting, said, “Due to decreasing temperature and slowing down of wind, the AQI in Delhi has crossed 300.”
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Saturday had invoked Stage-II of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in response to the degrading air quality of the national capital.
During the meeting, Rai said that eight more hotspots had been identified along with the existing 13 hotspots identified earlier which had AQI above 300 due to local factors. The new hotspots include Shadipur, ITO, Patparganj, Mandir Marg, Nehru Nagar, Sonia Vihar, Dhyan Chand Stadium and Moti Bagh.
Rai said that from now on, dust suppressant powder would be mixed with water during its sprinkling on the roads to keep the dust stuck on the ground for a longer period of time. The minister said a special eye would be kept on diesel generator (DG) sets to ensure regulation and strict action would be taken on offenders.
