Delhi's air quality improves to 'moderate' category

The improvement in the air quality comes after the AQI remained in the poor category in the previous days.

The overall AQI was recorded as 170 at 8 am on Friday, February 7, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Earlier this week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a weather warning for dense fog at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and western Uttar Pradesh.

The Central Pollution Control Board reported that the AQI in the national capital stood at a "poor" air quality level after the fog conditions.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on February 3 decided to lift the restrictions imposed under Stage-III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect in Delhi and surrounding National Capital Region (NCR) after the AQI in the national capital showed improvement.

The CAQM's decision came as the AQI in Delhi was recorded at 286 on February 3, 2025, which was 64 points below the 350 mark required to implement Stage-III measures, as per the Supreme Court's directives.

The actions under stages I and II of the extant schedule of GRAP however remains invoked and implemented.

All implementing agencies have been asked to keep strict vigil and intensify measures under the two stages of the extant schedule of GRAP.

Moreover, construction and demolition project sites etc. which have been issued specific closure orders on account of non-compliance with various statutory directions, rules, and guidelines under no circumstances shall resume their operations without any specific order to this effect from the commission.

"We must record here that if the Commission finds that the AQI goes above 35O, as a precautionary measure, Stage-III measures will have to be immediately implemented. If the AQI crosses 400 on a given day, Stage-IV measures will have to be reintroduced," the order read.