By- Srishti Verma
Delhi's air quality improved slightly the day before, but this morning it fell into the severe category.
Delhi and the neighboring cities are shrouded in a poisonous haze, with schools closed and the more stringent odd-even rule scheduled to return after a four-year break.
This morning, Delhi's total air quality index, or AQI was 418.
In Noida, Gurugram, and other nearby cities, the situation is likewise not much better. This morning, the average AQI for Noida was 409, Gurugram was 370, Faridabad was 396, and Ghaziabad was 382.
Delhi's air pollution is attributed to a combination of factors, such as burning stubble and vehicle emissions, prompting the authorities to elevate the pollution alert to the maximum level.
Diesel trucks and building activities are prohibited in the nation's capital due to the implementation of Stage-4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a set of recommendations designed to reduce pollution.
The day after Diwali, for a week, the odd-even rule—which restricts vehicular traffic depending on registration number—will go into effect.
Supreme Court referred to such efforts as "mere optics" and expressed doubt about the odd-even norm. It has ordered state governments in the National Capital Region to take action against stubble burning, emphasizing that the "murder of people's health" is caused by the suffocating air quality.