The Aryavarth Express New Delhi:
Delhi continued to face ‘very poor’ air quality on Thursday morning, with only a marginal improvement in pollution levels. The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 312 around 7 am, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Although the AQI showed some improvement compared to Wednesday morning’s reading of 341, air pollution across the national capital remained firmly in the ‘very poor’ category, posing serious health risks, particularly for children, senior citizens and people with respiratory ailments.
Several areas in Delhi recorded alarmingly high pollution levels. Anand Vihar reported an AQI of 379, Ashok Vihar 333 and Wazirpur 336. Other pollution hotspots included Punjabi Bagh (338), RK Puram (359), Bawana (323), ITO (331), Chandni Chowk (361) and Dwarka Sector 8 (342), all categorised as ‘very poor’.
Under the AQI classification, readings between 0–50 are considered ‘good’, 51–100 ‘satisfactory’, 101–200 ‘moderate’, 201–300 ‘poor’, 301–400 ‘very poor’ and 401–500 ‘severe’.
Adding to residents’ discomfort, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported moderate to dense fog in several parts of the city. The temperature was recorded at around 7.4 degrees Celsius at 7 am.
In response to the worsening air quality, the Delhi government on Wednesday announced that parking charges at authorised parking sites will be doubled whenever Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III (‘Severe’ air quality with AQI between 401–450) or Stage IV (‘Severe Plus’ with AQI above 450) is implemented. The move aims to discourage the use of private vehicles during periods of extreme pollution.
However, parking facilities owned and managed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) have been exempted from this decision.
The notification cited findings from an IIT Kanpur study on air pollution and greenhouse gases (2015), which stated that vehicles contribute about 19.7 per cent of PM10 and 25.1 per cent of PM2.5 emissions during winter, and 6.4 per cent of PM10 and 8.5 per cent of PM2.5 during summer. Vehicles are also responsible for around 18 per cent of methane (CH4), 92 per cent of nitrous oxide (N2O) and 30 per cent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually in the city.
Delhi currently has approximately 82.4 lakh registered vehicles. The city has 677 authorised parking facilities with an approved capacity for about 1,06,037 vehicles, excluding 91 parking areas operated by the DMRC.
The decision also follows directions from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which has urged the government to strengthen public transport, including destination buses, and take firm measures to discourage the use of private vehicles—such as two-wheelers, cars and heavy vehicles—to reduce air pollution in the capital.
