Delhi air improves to 'poor' as several industries are asked to shut down

The Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi was 235 --'poor'-- at 8 am, according to the state-run SAFAR

Delhi's air quality was on 'poor' Wednesday, improving from 'very poor' as state-empowered commission ordered the immediate closure of industries running on PNG or cleaner fuels.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) was 235 --'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'.

This came weeks after Delhi's air quality had remained stagnant in the 'very poor' category. 

The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) ordered that industries or industrial units, not running on cleaner fuels, will not be permitted to schedule their operations till December 12, 2021, and the position will be reviewed for further decisions. The order by CAQM came to control the air pollution levels in the national capital and adjoining areas. 

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 third most polluted city with an AQI of 191, said iQair, a website that tracks air pollution worldwide. The only other Indian cities in the list were Kolkata and Mumbai at seventh and ninth position with an AQI of 165, 159 respectively.

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.