New Delhi: Delhi’s air quality plunged further on Sunday, crossing into the ‘severe plus’ category as the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed to 457 by 7 PM. This marks the second time since last Wednesday that the AQI has breached the ‘severe plus’ threshold, following the season’s first ‘severe’ category dip earlier last week.  

All monitoring stations in Delhi reported AQI levels above 400, with Bawana (490), Ashok Vihar (487), and Wazirpur (483) ranking among the most polluted areas.  

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that moderate to dense fog is likely over the national capital on Sunday night, with dense to very dense fog predicted for Monday morning,

GRAP-3 Restrictions in Effect

To tackle the alarming pollution levels, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) enforced Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Friday. The measures under GRAP-3 include:  

– Halt on construction and demolition activities (except essential projects).  – Suspension of all non-essential mining operations.  – Restrictions on interstate buses that are non-electric, non-CNG, or non-BS-VI diesel.  – Closure of schools for students up to Class 5 in Delhi-NCR, as recommended.