Delhi is back in the danger zone. On Tuesday morning, the city AQI was 268, while 11 stations were in the “very poor” band and Mundka reached 357. A few days earlier, Delhi-NCR hit 312 during dense fog. That swing is serious because “poor” already means AQI 201–300. So when Delhi sits near 300, people are breathing harmful air for long hours, not just during short spikes, a concern now widely tracked under Latest News in India.
Why The Cycle Keeps Repeating
The pattern is familiar. Curbs tighten after pollution rises, then relax when weather helps dispersion. In January, GRAP Stage IV was imposed after Delhi’s average AQI rose to 440, then revoked as conditions improved; Stage III also followed a quick on-off pattern. This is reactive control, not stable prevention. Enforcement also remains patchy.
A recent crackdown reported 336 violations in 15 days, including dust-control gaps and non-compliance by local bodies and units. Source control is still weak through the year, even though official studies repeatedly flag vehicles, road dust, construction dust, biomass burning, and industrial emissions as major contributors.
Where Policy And Practice Break Apart
Public alerts are fast. Ground execution is uneven. Even official updates show “poor” to “very poor” flips with weather shifts. See this official news post by ANI Digital on X, which tracked another deterioration episode. Monitoring is expanding, with six new city stations and the Vayu Rakshak field program, but monitoring without strict compliance only documents failure better.
Where To Track Verified Updates
Use CPCB CCR, CAQM/GRAP releases, and IITM Delhi AQEWS daily. Unless rules become preventive, local, and year-round, AQI near 300 will keep returning in this same cycle.
FAQs
1) Is AQI near 300 dangerous for healthy people too?
Poor AQI means higher respiratory stress, especially for children, elders, and people with heart disease.
2) Do smog towers solve Delhi’s air pollution problem?
No, smog towers help locally, but lasting pollution cuts need cleaner transport, fuel, dust controls.
3) What does GRAP really do during bad air days?
GRAP stages impose emergency curbs based on AQI bands, mainly to prevent further short-term deterioration.
4) How can residents plan safer outdoor activity quickly?
Check CPCB and IITM dashboards daily, then reduce outdoor exposure during poor or polluted days.
5) Why do anti-pollution drives show limited long-term impact?
Enforcement is split across agencies, penalties are uneven, and weather quickly offsets temporary restrictions sometimes.
