Desolation of smog: Parts of Delhi enter 'severe' AQI zone

The city woke up to a chilly Saturday covered in a blanket of smog on Saturday as the air quality deteriorated to 'very poor' levels, with several areas slipping into the 'severe' category and many others on the verge.

It was also Delhi's lowest minimum temperature for the month so far at 11C, three notches below normal. The capital's overall AQI stood at 337 at 9am, rising to 343 by noon. By 4pm, it settled at 361 - among the worst readings this season - and was 380 by 8pm. So far this season, the worst average AQI the city recorded was 371 on October 31.Residents grappled with burning eyes, sore throats, and itchy noses amid a thick, choking haze.

By late afternoon, more areas had entered the severe category, including Nehru Nagar, Vivek Vihar, Wazirpur, Bawana and Burari. The air quality is very likely to stay in the very poor category till November 11.However, Delhi Pollution Control Committee said the city's air quality this Nov has, so far, remained better than the corresponding period last year. Officials said that for six out of seven days, the AQI was lower than last year's readings, adding that unlike last year, when emergency restrictions under Grap 3 were invoked on Nov 13, this year the govt has initiated mitigation steps much earlier.

Grap 3 is yet to be implemented this year as CAQM officials state it will only kick in once the AQI turns 400 or worse.Residents have been urged to avoid burning biomass, waste, or wood, especially as temperatures fall and such practices become common for heating. Large housing societies have been advised to replace coal or wood-fired heaters for security guards with electric ones. Construction sites have been asked to ensure anti-smog guns are installed and operational, particularly at projects above five floors, till at least Nov 29.

DPCC also said that staggered office timings should continue. CM Rekha Gupta announced that the govt will soon extend Ujjwala benefits to slums, enabling them to switch to clean cooking fuel. The govt has also instructed departments to step up road cleaning, dust suppression and pavement repair.Itchy eyes, sore throat, choked lungs: Air quality takes a toll on residents | page 4Noida: Smog continued to choke Noida on Saturday, with several neighbourhoods waking up to a burning sensation in the eyes, sore throats, and increasing breathing discomfort.

As the Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in 'very poor' category, residents said they have stopped early-morning walks, jogging, cycling, and other outdoor activities because of the thick layer of haze that blankets the skyline.CPCB data showed Noida's overall AQI rose to 354, up from 306 a day earlier."It's impossible to step out for walks anymore. Even five minutes outdoors leaves the eyes and throat burning," said Pramila Dhar of Sector 78.

"Parks across high-rise clusters that are usually crowded on weekend mornings remained near-empty today."Ghaziabad fared no better, with air quality sliding further to 339 from Friday's 314, while Greater Noida slipped from 'poor' to 'very poor', reaching 336 compared to 284.Station-level readings presented a grim picture for Noida. Sector 116 - which covers the 7x sectors - recorded the highest AQI at 357, followed by Sector 125 at 347, Sector 62 at 345, and Sector 1 at 341, all in the very poor range.Nisha Rai, a resident of Prateek Wisteria in Noida's Sector 77, said people in the area have been facing respiratory problems. "People in the area are suffering from sore throats and breathing difficulties. We don't see water sprinkling being done, and the sky remains grey. We have also stopped outdoor activities," she said.Shreya Sharma, a resident of Panchsheel Pratishtha in Sector 75, said the AOA has started sprinkling water on its own.

"There is rampant construction in the neighbourhood, and trucks and dumpers carrying materials create dust. However, there is no official check on such activities. We have advised children to stay indoors during morning and evening hours when pollution levels are high," she said.In Greater Noida, Knowledge Park V recorded an AQI of 322 and Knowledge Park III 328, both in the same category.Manish Kumar, a resident of Supertech Eco Village 1, said most roads in the area are covered in dust.

"There is no mechanical sweeping in Greater Noida West, and construction materials are transported and stored uncovered. We submitted a letter to the environment minister on Friday, seeking his intervention," he said.In Ghaziabad, Vasundhara was at 388 and Loni 364, in the very poor category, while Sanjay Nagar and Indirapuram were in the poor range at 298 and 278.Meanwhile, Delhi's overall AQI stood at 361 - among the worst readings this season. By 10pm, the hourly AQI was 385 and 20 out of the 36 monitoring stations have turned severe. However, the stricter restrictive measures under Graded Response Action Plan stage-III are yet to be implemented, and only preventive and advisory measures continue under GRAP-II. Officials at Commission for Air Quality Management, however, said stage-III would kick in only after AQI turned 400 or worse.Meanwhile, the city recorded the lowest minimum temperature for Nov on Saturday at 11 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal against Friday's 12.7 degrees.