Delhi NCR breathe in 'severe' air; Worse days ahead

New Delhi, Nov 01: Delhiiites have no respite as air quality remained in the very poor category with Air Quality Index (AQI) 359 while the air quality of the National Capital Region (NCR) also plunged to 'severe' quality.

Noida air quality was recorded as severe with an AQI of 444, Gurugram's AQI stood at 391 and continued to remain in the 'very poor' category.

According to an India Today report, Gurgaon is predicted to slip into 'severe' air quality category from Wednesday, November 2, while Noida's air quality is also expected to dip further.

Notably, an AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 satisfactory, 101-200 moderate, 201-300 poor, 301-400 very poor and 401-500 severe.

According to the data of SAFAR-India, Narela in North West Delhi reported the highest AQI at 571. The air quality of North Delhi is the poorest as almost all the stations have AQI above 400.

The Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla tweeted this morning about the rise in air pollution level in Delhi.

He tweeted, "This year 13,873 stubble burning incidents have taken place in Punjab (33.5% increase) while Haryana has seen a 33% dip. AQI is crossing 500! Last nite it dipped to 700!! Part Time CM KEJRIWAL has made Delhi a Gas chamber by failing on Punjab stubble/Vehicle pollution!"

BJP Social Media chief Amit Malviya also criticized the Delhi government for the poor air quality in Delhi.

Malviya in a tweet wrote, "Delhi is a gas chamber right now. The AQI is three times worse than what it was last year at the same time. The reason is unabated farm fires in Punjab, a state run by the AAP. Arvind Kejriwal has failed both Punjab and Delhi. This is free death, which Kejriwal doesn't advertise."