'Very poor': Delhi air quality remains at 309

New Delhi, Oct 29: Delhi's air quality continued to remain in the "very poor" category on Saturday as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital stood at 309.

The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) on Saturday showed AQI in the Delhi University area at 355 and in the Mathura road area at 340. Noida recorded an overall AQI of 392 while Gurugram's AQI stood at 313, as per data released by SAFAR-India.

"Stepping out of home is a necessity. Breathing gets difficult sometimes, you can feel the change in the air even in your eyes", a cart puller, Sukhdev told ANI.

"We are from Gurugram. there's breathing difficulty and irritation in eyes," said a group of cyclists.

"Government should see where to go from here next," Surendra, a fitness enthusiast told ANI.

Meanwhile, the centre has issued closure orders to 24 industrial units in the NCR for grossly violating the air pollution-related statutes and guidelines since invoking the first stage of its Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

GRAP is classified under four stages, depending on the air quality in Delhi. Stage I is implemented in case of 'poor' air quality (AQI 201-300); Stage II for 'very poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III for 'severe' (AQI 401-450) and Stage IV for 'severe plus' (AQI >450).

If the situation turns severe, the government will have to enforce a ban on construction and demolition activities in NCR. However, work on essential projects such as railways, metros, airports, ISBTs, and national security/defense-related projects of national importance are not included.

Non-polluting activities such as plumbing, carpentry, interior decoration, and electrical works can be allowed.

Air quality between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".