Delhi’s Air Quality Hits ‘Severe’ Zone for First Time This Season – Latest Update on Pollution Levels

Delhi pollution update

Delhi’s Air Quality Hits ‘Severe’ Zone for First Time This Season: The Central Pollution Control Board reported the severity of air quality in Delhi on Wednesday and stated that for the first time, this season, Delhi has entered the 'severe' category. The area under Pusa recorded an Air Quality Index of 430, which falls in the 'severe' range.

As against that, the city's 24-hour average AQI, measured at 4 pm every day, was recorded at 334 on Tuesday. It worsened to reach 366 at 9 am on Wednesday, at which time the air quality was 'very poor'.

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Delhi's air quality falls into five broad categories depending upon AQI values:

• 0 to 50 is considered ‘Good’
• 51 to 100 is ‘Satisfactory’
• 101 to 200 is ‘Moderate’
• 201 to 300 is ‘Poor’
• 301 to 400 is ‘Very Poor’
• 401 to 450 is ‘Severe’
• Above 450 is ‘Severe Plus’

Of the 36 air quality monitoring stations across the capital, 30 reported pollution levels in the 'severe' category, according to the CPCB's data.

The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, VK Saxena, has provided his assent for the redeployment of the CDVs for a period of four months from November 1, 2024, till February 28, 2025, by when the city would complete its fourth successive year of air quality crisis. It revives the CDV services that were suspended from November 1, 2023.

The redeployment is being viewed as a step to redress the Delhi air pollution crisis. Again, Saxena has demanded that the Delhi government draft a definite and systemic plan for bus marshals, proposed earlier in a letter to the Chief Minister on October 24, 2024, and recalled on November 2, 2024.

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The LG stressed the need for a good scheme specifying roles, responsibilities, and conditions of service for the bus marshals. Added to this, official posts and sufficient budgetary provisions would be needed.

As of 2023, over 10,000 CDVs lost their positions as bus marshals following concerns expressed by the Directorate of Civil Defence that the volunteer groups were really meant to serve in disaster management and not security for public transport. The LG had then proposed that these volunteers be redeployed to serve in home guard positions better aligned with the skills required for services.

The latest green signal for the reintroduction of CDVs goes well with the need to tackle the crisis on air pollution and the enhancing security measures of Delhi's public transport services.

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