Air Pollution Updates: Delhi AQI Remains 'Very Poor' for 7th Day; Govt Orders Colour-coded Fuel Stickers

The air quality in Delhi remained in the “very poor” category for the seventh consecutive day on Saturday as the overall AQI stood at 355. The Transport department of the Delhi government has meanwhile asked motorists to get colour-coded fuel stickers for their vehicles in a bid to curb alarming levels of pollution.

The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) released the air quality index early on Saturday morning. An AQI 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.

According to authorities, the air quality is likely to improve “significantly” from Sunday owing to relatively strong winds and reach “poor” category.

The display of chromium-based hologram stickers on all vehicles registered in NCT of Delhi are mandatory as per a Supreme Court order and the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, said a notice issued by the transport department on Friday.

“The owners of old vehicles are advised to approach dealers concerned for affixing Chromium-based hologram stickers on the windshield of their vehicles depending on the relevant class of fuel,” it said. The colour-coded stickers help enforcement personnel visibly identify fuel type of a vehicle during checks on the roads. Vehicles registered prior to April 2019 did not come with these stickers — blue for petrol or CNG and orange for diesel vehicles.

On Friday, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed. Neighbouring Faridabad (354), Ghaziabad (372), Greater Noida (388), Gurugram (345) and Noida (385) also recorded AQI in the “very poor” category.

On Thursday, NASA released a photograph that showed smoke emanating from crop fires in northern India and contributed to soaring levels of air pollution in Delhi.

To combat pollution, the Delhi government on Wednesday had issued 10 directions, including a ban on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential items in the city and closure of schools and colleges till further orders. On Thursday too, the AQI had stood in the 'very poor' category.

Delhi's AQI had on Tuesday slipped into 'severe' category in the evening, and the rising pollution level had been a matter of concern for all authorities and health experts. Meanwhile, the minimum temperature in the national capital was recorded at 10.9 degrees Celsius in the morning, one notch below the season's average, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The maximum temperature in the evening was recorded at 22.4 degrees Celsius, and a relative humidity of 69 per cent on Friday, it said. On Thursday, the city had registered a low of 10.5 degrees Celsius. At 9.6 degrees Celsius, the national capital on Wednesday had recorded the lowest minimum temperature of the season so far.

(With PTI inputs)

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