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Diwali dawns on an AQI of 384, and 11 of 23 Delhi stations are already past 400
Delhi's citywide air quality index was 384 at 6am on Diwali Sunday, but 11 of the 23 stations reporting were past the 400 'severe' mark, with Punjabi Bagh at 450. Officials call it the capital's worst festival-eve air in a decade.
Delhi air hits 488 a week before Diwali, and GRAP-2 is already in force
Delhi's Air Quality Index touched 488 around 11 am on Wednesday, after a daily average of 410 on Tuesday, according to readings from air quality monitoring platforms. Several monitoring stations crossed 500. GRAP-2 curbs are in force, and a winter action plan adds vehicle restrictions, construction curbs and a no-PUC-no-fuel rule.
Smog at 449 in one Delhi colony, and Diwali still five days away
Delhi's average AQI rose to 331 at 7 am on Tuesday, up from 307 a day earlier, with eight of 58 monitoring stations crossing 400. Jahangirpuri recorded 449 and Rohini 429. The Commission for Air Quality Management invoked GRAP Stage 2 across Delhi-NCR on Monday as stubble burning's share of PM2.5 was forecast to climb to 22 per cent by Thursday.
Smog an emergency, High Court orders a dust and emission plan
After Mumbai's air briefly turned worse than Delhi's, the Bombay High Court called the city's smog an emergency and ordered a clear action plan to cut dust and vehicle emissions. Delhi's AIIMS area recorded an AQI of 255, in the 'poor' band.