Air pollution on Monday was at alarming levels in parts of the city. As per the National Air Quality Index, which is measured at 10 stations across Delhi, Anand Vihar saw ‘severe’ pollution with an AQI of 443 as of 10 p.m. The index takes into account the amount of particulate matter (both PM2.5 and PM10), sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone.
Anything more than 100 is considered dangerous for humans. With a warning of severe, an AQI of 443 “affects healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases”, according to the Index.
The monitoring station at Punjabi Bagh also saw a ‘severe’ warning with an AQI of 415 recorded at 10 p.m. Even the lowest AQIs recorded at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (106) and Civil Lines (108) stations at 10 p.m. are considered to give breathing troubles to people with lung and heart diseases.
Bhure Lal, the chairperson of the Supreme Court-appointed EPCA, was out on the filed on Sunday night to convince truck drivers to pay the environment compensation charge at toll tax booths.
“We need to implement the order as pollution is unabated,” he said.