StatesDelhi
Delhi air stays very poor at 368 at 7 am, 15 stations severe under GRAP III
Burari Crossing and Sonia Vihar both read 441 on the morning after Diwali. The city average held below the 400 mark while the early warning system expects severe air for several more days.
Key points
- Delhi's AQI was 368 at 7 am on Monday, November 9, in the very poor band, against 376 on Diwali day.
- 15 of 54 stations were severe, led by Burari Crossing and Sonia Vihar at 441 each, and all 54 were above 200.
- GRAP Stage III stays in force across Delhi-NCR since November 6, with a complete firecracker ban from November 9.
Delhi’s air stayed in the very poor band at 368 at 7 am on Monday, November 9, the morning after Diwali, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. The city average sat just under the severe line, but the station map looked worse than that number: 15 of the 54 stations reporting valid data were above 400, and none was below 200.
The highest readings were 441 at both Burari Crossing and Sonia Vihar. Vivek Vihar followed at 437, Delhi Technological University at 434, North Campus of Delhi University and Jahangirpuri at 433 each, Rohini at 430 and Bawana at 424. Fifty of the 54 stations were above 300. PM2.5, the fine particle that lodges deep in the lungs, was the main pollutant.
What the readings show
Our earlier report had the average at 366 at 6:30 am, with ITO touching 406 at 4:20 am. By 7 am the city figure edged up two points, and the severe count was reported at 15, up from the seven stations above 400 in the 6:30 am list. Another early reading put the number at 12 of 59 stations, so the exact count shifts with how many stations report and when.
The spike came overnight. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s monitor at Akshardham recorded 760.99 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre at 11 pm on Sunday, more than 50 times the World Health Organization’s 24-hour guideline of 15. That compares one hour’s reading with a daily guideline, so it shows the intensity of the night rather than a day’s exposure.
How we got here
The Supreme Court allowed only certified green crackers, from 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm, on November 7 and 8 (see our report on the green crackers order). Bursting was reported to have gone on past 10 pm, and conventional crackers were also used. The court has ordered a complete ban from Monday.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) put GRAP Stage III in force on Friday, November 6, when the average was 382, as a precaution before Diwali (our report on the Stage III order). The average then slipped to 369 on Saturday and rose to 376 on Sunday. On Diwali eve it was 369 with 16 stations severe, as we reported in the eve-of-Diwali count.
The curbs in force
Stage III bars diesel vehicles of BS-IV and below and petrol vehicles of BS-III and below, stops non-essential construction and demolition and adds industrial restrictions. Delhi’s Directorate of Education has told government, aided and private schools to hold classes up to Class 5 in hybrid mode, covered in our report on the school order. Parents have asked for closures from November 10 to 15, and no such order had been issued at the time of writing.
Winter rules that began on November 1 also keep non-BS-VI vehicles registered outside Delhi off the roads, with exemptions, and enforce the “No PUC, No Fuel” rule at petrol pumps.
Beyond Delhi
The National Capital Region fared much the same. Bahadurgarh read 389, Ghaziabad 366, Noida 340, Manesar 338, Faridabad 334, Gurugram 316, Bhiwadi 300 and Greater Noida 293. Of 288 cities with data, Khora in Uttar Pradesh was highest at 400, with Mandi Gobindgarh and Bahadurgarh at 389 each.
Why it matters
At these levels, prolonged exposure can bring respiratory illness, and severe air can affect healthy people and worsen heart and lung conditions. Residents have been advised to limit time outdoors, especially in heavy smog. Low wind speed and poor ventilation are keeping the pollutants close to the ground, along with vehicle and industrial emissions, stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, and the smoke from Diwali night.
What happens next
The Air Quality Early Warning System expects air to reach the severe level from Monday and stay there for the next few days. Stage III stays in force across the region until CAQM revises it. A rise above 450 would bring the next stage of curbs, which CAQM decides on its own review. The Monday daily average, once CPCB publishes it, will show whether the city as a whole crosses 400.