Amid the deteriorating air quality, the National Capital Region announced the closure of all schools and colleges until the situation is brought under control. The Capital’s air quality remained in the ‘severe category’ on Wednesday, recording an AQI of 389. Meanwhile, after a slight improvement on Tuesday, Jaipur’s air quality plunged to ‘very poor’ levels yet again on Wednesday morning. According to the latest Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the city’s AQI stands at a dismal 307. In Kota, air quality remained very poor (AQI level 349 on Tuesday), while Udaipur saw signs of improvement as its air quality level improved from ‘very poor’ on Monday to ‘poor’ on Tuesday. Cities across Uttar Pradesh, too, continued to grapple with ‘poor’ air quality. In fact, Noida remains the most polluted city in the country, with an AQI of 397. This comes a day after UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held a high-level meeting with local officials to discuss the ensuing air pollution crisis, where steps to deal with rising AQI were discussed but a possible lockdown was ruled out. Mumbai recorded the worst air quality of this season on Tuesday. An AQI of 280 was recorded on Tuesday, a rise from 245 the previous day. Since November 1, there has been a steady rise in the city’s pollution levels. An AQI between 201 and 300 is categorised as poor, according to the System of Air Quality Forecasting And Research (SAFAR). In many major cities across South India, air pollution levels remained manageable. Bengaluru recorded a ‘satisfactory’ level AQI of 58 on Tuesday, while the AQI in Chennai stood at 64. An AQI of 42 was recorded in Kochi. With the Centre stating that dust, vehicular transport and industry were the major contributors to the air pollution that has choked the national capital, the Supreme Court asked the Government to hold an emergency meeting Tuesday to decide on how to tackle the situation. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
