Delhi AQI Today: As the AQI of national capital plummeted to 526 on Wednesday, marking the ‘hazardous level’ zone, Delhi environment minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Gopal Rai announced that government offices in Delhi will move to work from home mode for 50 per cent of the employees.
“To reduce pollution, Delhi government decided to work from home in government offices. 50% employees will work from home. For its implementation, a meeting will be held with the officials at 1 pm today in the Secretariat.”, Rai tweeted in Hindi.
Earlier, the government announced staggered office timings for its offices and the MCD.
The timings of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) offices were fixed from 8.30 am to 5 pm, while that of Delhi government offices were 10 am to 6.30 pm.
Delhi Faces Severe Pollution Crisis as AQI Soars to Hazardous Levels
On Wednesday, Delhi experienced a significant environmental crisis, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching hazardous levels across multiple areas. Ashok Vihar Phase 2 recorded an AQI of 527, and several other regions in the city saw alarming pollution readings.
Here are the AQI levels recorded in key locations:
Alipur: 490
Anand Lok: 504
Anand Prabat: 376
Anand Vihar: 591
Ashok Vihar Phase 1: 522
Ashok Vihar Phase 2: 527
Ashok Vihar Phases 3 and 4: 634
Delhi Cantt: 258
Dwarka Sector 11: 521
Dwarka Sector 23: 390
Greater Kailash II: 256
GTB Nagar: 617
Vehicle Checks and Implementation of GRAP Stage IV
In response to the worsening air quality, the Delhi Police conducted vehicle checks on Tuesday night to enforce Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). This stage prohibits the operation of Delhi-registered BS-IV and older diesel-operated medium goods vehicles (MGVs) and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), except those involved in essential services.
Supreme Court’s Intervention on Air Pollution Measures
Stage IV of GRAP has been in effect since 8:00 AM on November 18, as part of efforts to curb Delhi’s deteriorating air quality. On Monday, the Supreme Court directed the Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) governments to strictly implement GRAP Stage IV measures, as the AQI continues to fall within the “severe” category.
The court instructed NCR states to form teams to monitor and enforce the action plan and emphasized that the measures should remain in place even if the AQI drops below 450. All NCR states and the central government have been asked to file compliance affidavits.
