Delhi AQI reaches 331 on Nov 3 while some stations cross 400: Which areas are worst affected today?

Delhi's air quality worsened further on Tuesday morning, with the city's average Air Quality Index (AQI) climbing to 331 at 7 am, compared with 307 at the same time on Monday. The air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category, with PM2.5 emerging as the dominant pollutant, according to real-time data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Pollution levels remained high across most parts of the national capital. Out of 58 monitoring stations that reported valid readings, 57 recorded AQI levels above 200, while 41 stations registered readings exceeding 300. As many as eight locations reported AQI levels above 400, placing them in the ‘severe’ category.

Jahangirpuri records Delhi's highest AQI at 449

Jahangirpuri emerged as the most polluted location in Delhi, with an AQI of 449. Rohini followed with a reading of 429, while Punjabi Bagh recorded 424. Alipur and Vivek Vihar reported AQI levels of 413 and 410, respectively.

Quick answers to key questions

•5

QUESTIONS

Jahangirpuri had Delhi’s highest reading at 449, followed by Rohini at 429 and Punjabi Bagh at 424. Eight monitoring locations recorded AQI levels above 400.

The articles cite unfavourable weather and smoke from farm fires in Punjab and Haryana as contributing factors. PM2.5 was the dominant pollutant in Delhi.

Extended exposure to very poor air can lead to respiratory illnesses. Severe air can affect healthy people and pose serious risks to those with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions.

Regular or commercial diesel-generator use is prohibited, except for specified essential and emergency services. Coal- or firewood-fired tandoors cannot operate, and sites specifically ordered shut cannot reopen.

Electric, CNG-powered and BS-VI-compliant vehicles can continue operating, subject to applicable rules. Compliant vehicles must also have a valid PUC certificate.

Other locations that crossed the 400 mark included Bawana (408), Delhi Technological University (407) and Narela (406). In comparison, IGNOU-Maidan Garhi recorded the lowest AQI in the city at 195.

Noida, Manesar record ‘very poor’ air quality

The impact of rising pollution was also visible across several neighbouring cities in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Noida registered an AQI of 307, while Manesar recorded 302. Gurugram's reading stood at 284, followed by Ghaziabad at 259 and Greater Noida at 213. Faridabad reported comparatively better air quality, with an AQI of 111, placing it in the ‘moderate’ category.

According to the CPCB's National Air Quality Index classification, an AQI between 201 and 300 falls under the ‘poor’ category. Readings ranging from 301 to 400 are classified as ‘very poor’, while values between 401 and 500 indicate ‘severe’ air quality.

Extended exposure to ‘very poor’ air can lead to respiratory illnesses. In the ‘severe’ category, air pollution can adversely affect even healthy individuals, while posing serious health risks to people with existing respiratory and cardiovascular ailments.

Gajraula tops national pollution chart

The CPCB dataset, which covered 272 cities with valid AQI readings, showed Gajraula in Uttar Pradesh as the most polluted city in the country, with an AQI of 399.

Delhi and Khora in Uttar Pradesh occupied the next positions, both recording an AQI of 331. Haryana's Kaithal followed with a reading of 330. Baraut in Uttar Pradesh registered 310, while Noida and Hapur recorded AQI levels of 307 and 306, respectively.

On the other hand, several cities reported clean air. Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh had the lowest AQI at 18, followed by Madikeri in Karnataka at 19 and Gangtok in Sikkim at 23. Nayagarh in Odisha recorded 24, while Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka stood at 25. All five cities were in the ‘good’ air quality category.

CAQM invokes Stage II of GRAP across Delhi-NCR

The latest spike in pollution comes a day after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) enforced Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR with immediate effect.

The decision was announced on Monday after Delhi's AQI touched 324 at 4 pm, pushing the city into the ‘very poor’ category. The CAQM attributed the worsening conditions to unfavourable weather and forecasts issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).

According to the agencies' projections, Delhi-NCR's air quality was expected to remain in the ‘very poor’ category over the next few days.

What is banned / not allowed under GRAP Stage-II:

1. Diesel Generator (DG) Sets: The use of diesel generator sets for regular or commercial purposes is prohibited, with exemptions limited to specified emergency and essential services.

3. Coal- and firewood-fired Tandoors: Restaurants, hotels and eateries cannot operate tandoors fuelled by coal or firewood.

4. Construction and demolition: Reopening construction and demolition sites or industrial units that have been specifically ordered to shut down is not permitted.

5. Vehicles without valid PUC certificates: Vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate face enforcement action, including penalties and possible denial of fuel at petrol pumps.

6. Older and non-compliant commercial vehicles: Restrictions may apply to the entry and movement of older or non-compliant interstate commercial and goods vehicles in Delhi-NCR, depending on the applicable emission standards and government notifications.

What is allowed under GRAP Stage-II:

1. Public transport and clean-fuel vehicles: Electric vehicles (EVs), CNG-powered vehicles and BS-VI-compliant vehicles can continue operating, subject to applicable traffic and pollution-control rules.
2. Emergency and essential DG use: Diesel generator sets are permitted for essential and emergency services, including hospitals, healthcare facilities and lifts, in accordance with applicable exemptions.

3. Anti-pollution activities: Mechanised road sweeping, regular water sprinkling with dust suppressants and targeted pollution-control measures will continue across Delhi-NCR.

4. Regular traffic and essential operations: Compliant vehicles carrying valid PUC certificates can continue plying under normal traffic regulations. However, authorities may increase parking charges and introduce staggered office timings to discourage private vehicle use.

About the Author

For about a decade, Livemint—News Desk has been a credible source for authentic and timely news, and well-researched analysis on national news, business, personal finance, corporates, politics and geopolitics. We bring the latest updates on all the listed companies on BSE and NSE, startups, mutual funds, Union ministries, geopolitics, and untapped human interest stories from around the world, helping our readers to stay informed on the latest developments around the globe. Our Coverage Areas 1. Companies: Comprehensive news and analysis on listed and unlisted companies, corporate announcements, corporate chatter, C-suite, business trends, hiring alerts, layoffs, work-life balance, world's top billionaires and richest and more. 2. Personal finance: Insights into mutual funds, small savings schemes like - PPF, SSY, post office savings scheme, stock to watch, personal loans, credit cards, top bank FDs, real estate, income tax and more. 3. Politics: Comprehensive coverage of general elections, state elections and bypolls, Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, Parliament, PMO, PIB, finance ministry, home ministry, among other union ministries and government departments. 4. National News: From metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and e to untapped stories from rural India, we cover human interest, health, education, crime and courts, and law and order, among other areas of public interest. 5. Economy: In-depth analysis of India's macro and micro-economic indicators like- GDP, inflation, forex, fiscal deficit, current account deficit, interest rate cycle, economic recovery, RBI circulars, indirect taxes, GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy imports, exports and everything that impacts Indian economy. 6. Geopolitics: Well-rounded and deeply researched coverage on US News, Oval Office European Union, Ukraine Russia War, middle-east crisis, royal families and global leaders like - Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Xi Jinping and premiers of other leading economies in the world. Meet the Team 1. Gulam Jeelani, Political Affairs Editor 2. Sugam Singhal, Senior Assistant Editor 3. Chanchal, Assistant Editor 4. Sanchari Ghosh, Chief Content Producer 5. Pratik Prashant Mukane, Chief Content Producer 6. Sayantani Biswas, Chief Content Producer 7. Ravi Hari, Deputy Chief Content Producer 8. Garvit Bhirani, Deputy Chief Content Producer 9. Akriti Anand, Senior Content Producer 10. Jocelyn Felix Fernandes, Senior Content Producer 11. Swastika Das Sharma, Content Producer 12. Mausam Jha, Content Producer 13. Riya R Alex, Trainee Content Producer