Delhi Air Pollution - November 21: Minor Relief After 8 Days

New Delhi: The ever-increasing air pollution in the national capital, Delhi, has eased slightly. Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) has remained at alarming levels for the past eight days (November 13 to November 20); however, today November 21 (Thursday), the air quality has shown some improvement.

This morning, Delhi's AQI decreased slightly from a hazardous level to the very poor category. The AQI was recorded at 384 today, having reached 500 just two days ago. Although the air quality in Delhi has improved somewhat, the situation has not yet stabilized. In response, the Delhi Police have issued orders to halt the online sale of firecrackers in the capital city through e-commerce websites and social media platforms.

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According to an order issued by the Delhi government on October 14, a complete ban has been imposed on the manufacture, storage, and burning of firecrackers in Delhi until January 1 of next year. Additionally, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi is implementing a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to reduce air pollution. As part of this initiative, offices in Delhi will operate at 50 percent capacity, with half of the staff working from home. Under the third and fourth phases of GRAP, the closure of schools has been mandated in certain districts of the Delhi NCR. Furthermore, government offices in Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar will operate with staggered hours.

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