Delhi's air quality remains in 'very poor' zone, severe in Anand Vihar area

Delhi woke up to another day of hazardous air quality on Tuesday, despite a ban on firecrackers during the Diwali festival. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 384, placing the city firmly in the "very poor" category. Several areas within Delhi experienced even worse air quality, surpassing the "severe" threshold with AQI levels above 400. Mundka, Vivek Vihar, Ashok Vihar, New Moti Bagh, Anand Vihar, Rohini, and Dwarka Sector 8 were among the hardest hit locations, according to SAFAR India.

The city on Monday recorded its most polluted 24 hours of the season, with air quality dipping to ‘very poor' as cold weather conditions set in and calm winds couldn't clear away the toxic haze. Gurgaon's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) touched 310 on Monday, a 10% increase from 281 (poor) the day before. It is only the second time this season that AQI exceeded 300 this season. The first time it surpassed this mark was post-Diwali, on Nov 1, when AQI fell to 309.

The city's air quality nosedived this Deepavali as firecracker-related pollution worsened the air quality index (AQI) in most parts. Despite regulations from Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) that only green crackers should be burst, widespread violations resulted in several areas recording extremely high AQI readings. In the past few days, fireworks were set off extensively, propelling daily average PM2.5 levels past 100 microns per cubic metre - the threshold for poor air quality - in over 90% of the monitored areas.

The air quality continued to deteriorate in Noida and Ghaziabad on Monday due to unfavourable weather conditions. Noida's AQI remained in the ‘very poor' category at 319, compared to 313 the day before, while Greater Noida's air quality deteriorated to the ‘very poor' category on Monday at 305, slipping from ‘poor' at 248 the day before. Ghaziabad's air quality saw a similar drop from ‘poor' to very poor' with an AQI of 314 on Monday against 290 the previous day.

Three youths were arrested by Ramanagara police on charges of beating a final-year BCom student to death inside a farmhouse recently.The victim, R Puneeth, 22, from Rajajinagar, visited a farmhouse at Chikkenahalli village in Ramanagara to enjoy Deepawali holidays. Puneeth's friend Ankith took them to the farmhouse which was owned by the latter's close relative. Apart from Puneeth and Ankith, five students of a private college in Basaveshwaranagar, including two girls, were part of the team.