The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi worsened to 440 on Monday morning, putting the air quality in the national capital in the 'severe' category. This is around seven to eight times above the government-prescribed safe limit.
For the seventh consecutive day, a toxic haze persisted over the region, prompting the Centre and state authorities to call for the strict implementation of all emergency measures mandated under the final Stage IV of its air pollution control plan, the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
Several cities in neighbouring Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh have also reported hazardous air quality. Neighbouring Ghaziabad (413), Gurugram (369), Noida (403), Greater Noida (396) and Faridabad (426) also reported hazardous air quality at 7 am on Monday.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has called a meeting of all concerned departments on Monday given the increasing pollution, his office said in a brief statement. One of the agenda of the meeting is the strict implementation of GRAP-4.
Under GRAP-4, only CNG, electric, and BS VI-compliant vehicles from other states are allowed to enter Delhi. Exemptions are granted only to those involved in essential services. All medium and heavy goods vehicles not engaged in essential services are also banned in the capital, according to the latest order from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
The CAQM has also asked Delhi and NCR states to order a ban on construction work related to linear public projects and allow 50 per cent of the staff in government and private offices to work from home.
Non-essential construction work and specific categories of polluting vehicles have already been banned in Delhi. Schools have also been shut till November 10.
This comes as farm fires continued to rage across Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. According to the New Delhi-based Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), a total of 4,160 farm fires were reported from north India on Sunday -- the highest so far this season. Punjab alone reported 3,230 incidents of stubble burning, the state's highest in a day so far this season.
The situation is likely to worsen as the India Meteorological Department predicts conditions favourable for the dispersion of pollutants from Tuesday night onwards. This is due to the influence of an upcoming western disturbance, a weather system that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring unseasonal rainfall to northwest India.