Severe Smog in Delhi: Thousands Fined as Pollution Measures Intensify

As Delhi's air quality worsens with thick smog covering the city, nearly 15 monitoring stations report AQI levels in the ‘severe’ range, exceeding 400.

An AQI measures air quality: 200-300 is ‘poor,’ 301-400 is ‘very poor,’ 401-450 is ‘severe,’ and over 450 is ‘severe-plus,’ posing serious health risks.

According to IQair, the PM2.5 concentration was 59 times above the WHO’s recommended limit.

The Centre’s panel on air quality ordered the closure of 56 construction sites and fined 597 others for violating pollution norms between October 15 and 31.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) reported that over 54,000 vehicles were fined for not having a valid pollution-under-control certificate, while 3,900 overage vehicles were impounded during this period.