Delhi air 'poor' still as panel orders closure of 228 industrial units

The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital was 293 --'poor'-- at 8 am, according to the state-run SAFAR

Delhi air remained polluted on Friday as state-backed commission  ordered the immediate closure of 228 industria units across the national capital and cities nearby. 

The Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital was 293 --'poor'-- at 8 am, according to the state-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). Readings below 50 are considered safe, while anything above 300 is considered hazardous or 'severe'.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said 1,215 sites were inspected till December 7, and gross violations were reported from 228 units across various sectors in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan.

Meanwhile, the commission has set up 40 flying squads to review field-level action and check for compliance in respect of various directions and orders issued by CAQM.

Delhi's air quality in November was the worst in seven years, data showed. The national capital's air quality became worse after Diwali on November 4 as people violated a ban on bursting firecrackers while the pollution compounded due to an increase in stubble burning by farmers in areas adjoining the national capital.

Delhi was this morning the world's seventh most polluted city with an AQI of 175, said iQair, a website that tracks air pollution worldwide.

Air pollution costs Indian businesses $95 billion or roughly 3 per cent of its GDP every year, according to U.K.-based non-profit Clean Air Fund and the Confederation of Indian Industry, Bloomberg has reported.