Northern India encountered the recurring annual pre-winter event of air emergency where the Air Quality Index (AQI) readings of main pollutant PM 2.5 breached the 400-mark of “very poor” and landed the air of Delhi, Punjab and other northern cities into the “hazardous” category.

New Delhi, Delhi woke up to GR Stage III restrictions on Friday, as the city’s air quality remained in the “severe” category for the third consecutive day, prompting strict measures to curb pollution levels. According to the Sameer aap , the Air Quality Index at 9 am was recorded in the ‘severe’ category , with a reading of 411.

Delhi’s ‘severe’ air quality has prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to activate stage 3 of the Graded Action Response Plan (GRAP) in the Capital. This includes ban on all non-essential construction and demolition work,