Delhi air pollution: heavy haze covers the NCR, and the AQI is still "severe" for the fourth day.

Today's Delhi AQI: Private BS III gasoline and BS IV diesel vehicles were prohibited from using the roads; infractions carried a ₹20,000 fine.

Today's Delhi AQI: On Saturday, November 16, the national capital, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and other sections of the National Capital Region (NCR) were still covered in a thick layer of haze for the fourth day in a row, and the air quality in a number of Delhi neighborhoods remained in the severe category.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said that around 9 a.m. on Saturday, the Shadipur area of Delhi had an air quality index (AQI) of 457 ('severe plus').

Wazirpur (441), Jahangiruri (445), and Narela (449) are a few of the Delhi neighborhoods with the poorest air quality. When the air quality exceeds 400, it is classified as severe.

Private BS III gasoline and BS IV diesel vehicles are prohibited in Delhi.
As the city choked under "severe" category air pollution on Friday morning, the Delhi government banned private BS III gasoline and BS IV diesel vehicles, interstate non-electric CNG buses, certain types of construction activities, and staggered government office timings.

Private BS III gasoline and BS IV diesel vehicles were prohibited from using the roads; infractions carried a ₹20,000 fine. Additionally prohibited are diesel and gasoline interstate buses that travel to Delhi from the NCR cities.

According to Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai, the transport department has sent out 84 teams and an additional 280 people to apprehend violators.

The Commission for Air Quality Management, or CAQM, issued the limits Thursday under stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan, or GRAP.

According to Gopal Rai, Saturday's increased wind speed will make things even better.

Government offices with varying hours
Given the pollution levels, Chief Minister Atishi ordered staggered hours for city government offices in an effort to reduce traffic.

The central government offices will be open from 9 am to 5.30 pm, the Delhi government offices from 10 am to 6.30 pm, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) offices from 8.30 am to 5 pm, according to the schedule she posted on X.

Delhi LG V K Saxena expressed dissatisfaction that a measure that should have been in place as a preventive precaution was done with a delay of several days and approved the staggered government office times until February 2025.

He stated that it was anticipated that the Delhi government will guarantee rigorous implementation of additional measures that were addressed during an October 24 pollution control meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).

The last four days have seen Delhi's air quality fall into the "severe" category.

To encourage public transportation, the government will operate 106 shuttle buses and the Metro trains will conduct 60 more daily excursions. Private construction and demolition operations will be completely prohibited while essential government construction projects are underway.

Delhi schools have switched to online instruction for classes up to five.
After the weekend, Delhi schools for classes up to five will switch to an online learning environment. Several private school principals and teachers said that they were addressing the issue with smart boards and applications.

Skymet Weather Services' Mahesh Palawat told PTI that Friday's improved air quality was caused by winds ranging from 8 to 12 kmph.

Even while the AQI will still be classified as "very poor" on Saturday, it will get better in comparison.

18 of Delhi's 39 monitoring sites reported "severe" air quality, compared to 27 in the morning, according to the Sameer app, which offers hourly updates of the Central Pollution Control Board's national AQI.

Aya Nagar, Bawana, DTU, Dwarka Sector 8, IGI Airport, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Narela, Nehru Nagar, Patparganj, Punjabi Bagh, Alipur, Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, and Aya Nagar are some of these stations.

Approximately 33.3% of Delhi's pollution on Thursday came from stubble burning, making it the largest source, according to the Center's Decision Support System for Air Quality Management.

On Friday, the estimated contribution of vehicle emissions to Delhi's pollution was 11.9%.

According to the CPCB, PM2.5—fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, or roughly the breadth of a human hair—was the main pollutant.

These tiny particles pose serious health dangers because they can enter the bloodstream and travel deep into the lungs.