Delhi's air quality remains 'very poor'; breathing made difficult

AQI at India Gate was 322. In the Palam area, the AQI recorded was 320, while in Dhaula Kuan AQI reported was 269.

A local resident, Karan Sharma, said that the pollution levels have made it difficult to breathe and urged the government to take immediate action to address the worsening situation.

"The pollution is very high. We face difficulties in breathing. No action is being taken by the concerned departments. The government should pay attention to the issue," Sharma said.

On Friday, the air quality in the national capital dipped to the 'very poor' category, with Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) standing at 312, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

On Thursday, Delhi's overall AQI recorded at 8 am was 271, categorised as 'poor', according to data from the CPCB.

Several monitoring station across the city recorded 'very poor' air quality, as Anand VIhar reported an AQI of 332, Alipur 316, Ashok Vihar 332, Bawana 366, Burari Crossing 345, Chandni Chowk 354, Dwarka Sector-8 310, ITO 337, Jahangirpuri 342, Mundka 335, Narela 335, Okhla Phase 2 307, Patparganj 314, Punjabi Bagh 343, RK Puram 321, Rohini 336 and Sonia Vihar 326 -- all categorized as 'very poor' as of 8 am according to the CPCB live air quality index.

Since Diwali, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) has been reeling under the 'poor' and 'very poor' categories in several areas, even as Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) remains in effect.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has already announced the doubling of parking fees across the national capital after the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage II was invoked due to deteriorating air quality.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'. (ANI)