The Air Quality Index on the Central Pollution Control Board’s Sameer application was not updated after 12.05 pm on Monday, when the city’s overall AQI stood at 345, which is categorised as “very poor”.

The application provides hourly air quality updates.

At 12.05 pm, among the areas reporting the highest pollution levels were Bawana (411) and Wazirpur (400).

An unidentified official at the Commission for Air Quality Management told Hindustan Times that the pollution board had been asked to fix the issue at the earliest.

“We have been told it is likely to be fixed by the evening,” they told the newspaper. “There should be no problem with the daily bulletin.”

As of 8 pm, the issue had not been resolved.

The Sameer application had seen a disruption of almost 11 hours on October 26, Hindustan Times reported.

A day prior, 23 out of 39 air quality monitoring stations in Delhi recorded AQI readings above 400, which is categorised as “severe”.

An index value between 0 and 50 indicates “good” air quality, between 51 and 100 indicates “satisfactory” air quality and between 101 and 200 indicates “moderate” air quality. As the index value increases further, air quality deteriorates. A value of 201 and 300 means “poor” air quality, while between 301 and 400 indicates “very poor” air.

Between 401 and 450 indicates “severe” air pollution, while anything above the 450 threshold is termed “severe plus”.

Air quality deteriorates sharply in the winter months in Delhi, which is often ranked the world’s most polluted capital.

Stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana, along with the lighting of firecrackers, vehicular pollution, falling temperatures, decreased wind speeds and emissions from industries and coal-fired plants contribute to the problem.

The air quality in the national capital has been in the “poor” or worse categories since mid-October, leading to the implementation of incremental anti-pollution measures under the Graded Response Action Plan.

On Sunday, the organisers of a protest against air pollution in the national capital alleged that they were repeatedly pressured by police officials to cancel the demonstration.

The police detained several of the protesters, including some senior citizens, who had gathered near India Gate. Those detained were taken to the Narela and Bawana police stations, Scroll has learnt.

Also read: Delhi’s failure to act against the biggest source of its air pollution – vehicles

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