Delhi Air Pollution: AQI Drops To 283, Residents Complain Of Breathing Issues

The air quality in Delhi was recorded at 283 on Friday morning, as a thick layer of smog enveloped the city. At 8 am, Anand Vihar's AQI was 218, Punjabi Bagh's was 245, India Gate's was 276, and Jhilmil Industrial area's was 288. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered poor.

Shree Krishna, visiting India Gate, told ANI that there is an increase in pollution over recent days. "The pollution in the last couple of days has increased. It was a little better yesterday, and a little better today. However, you can always feel the dust while breathing. During Diwali and winter, it becomes much worse. The state government and central government are not putting in any effort. The people also need to take required measures like using public transport," he added.

Kalyani Tiwari, a local resident, shared her struggles with health issues due to the worsening air quality. "I have been facing headaches and constant breathing issues because of the pollution. The government needs to start cleaning the rivers and with Chaat Puja and other festivities coming up, the government needs to start taking action," she stated.

Rakesh Kumar echoed these concerns about the deteriorating conditions before Diwali. "If this is the condition before Diwali, then how scary is it going to get after Diwali? The pollution has been increasing day by day here. The government needs to take action on this," he remarked.

Another visitor at India Gate highlighted the lack of coordination between citizens and authorities as a significant issue. "Both the people and the government are responsible for the situation here. There is no coordination. We are inhaling pollution every day. There need to be strict measures taken," they commented.

A resident warned that pollution levels might soon prevent people from leaving their homes. "In a couple of days, the pollution will increase so much that we won't be able to step out of our residences. We are very troubled here because of the pollution. It has started causing problems to our bodies. The dust has increased a lot. The government is not doing anything on this issue," they expressed.

Toxic foam was observed floating in the Yamuna River due to high pollution levels affecting its waters. On October 24th, Public Work Department vehicles sprayed water in various areas as part of efforts to combat air pollution.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has implemented Stage II GRAP Action Plan across Delhi NCR. This plan involves daily mechanical or vacuum sweeping and water sprinkling on identified roads.