According to 9:15 Am data by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI was 378 in Delhi's Anand Vihar area. At Indira Gandhi International airport, the AQI stood at 264, at ITO 322, Jawaharlal Nehru stadium 287, at North Campus 280, at Punjabi Bagh 305, at RK Puram 291, at Patparganj 317, respectively.
An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
Every year, smog engulfs Delhi during winter due to various reasons, but stubble burning is said to be the key cause.
Paddy straw burning in Punjab and Haryana is one of the reasons behind the alarming spike in air pollution levels in the national capital in October and November.
According to Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) data, Punjab reported 426 farm fires on Saturday.
As the window for Rabi crop wheat is very short after paddy harvest, farmers set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue. Punjab generates around 180 lakh tonnes of paddy straw annually.
However, according to SAFAR, a forecasting agency under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the share of farm fires in Delhi's pollution was 14%. Vehicular pollution, dust, and traffic congestion are other reasons behind Delhi's pollution.
At present, the Centre's air quality panel has imposed stages I and II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)
It is an emergency measure that kicks in to prevent further deterioration of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold.
Under Stages 1 and 2 of GRAP, a ban is imposed on diesel generators, the use of coal, and tandoors in hotels and restaurants.
Besides, Stage 2 calls for intensified actions like sweeping roads, enhancing parking fees to discourage private transport, increasing the use of public transport, etc.
