Delhi AQI at 261, worst this season: New winter curbs begin with traffic snarls; know what restrictions are in force

NEW DELHI: Delhi's new winter pollution curbs triggered long traffic jams at the city's borders on Sunday, as vehicles lined up for emission checks on the first day of enforcement.The congestion came alongside a sharp deterioration in air quality, with the city's Air Quality Index (AQI) rising to 261 in the poor category — its worst reading of the season and the highest in 198 days.Heavy traffic was reported at several entry points, particularly along the Delhi-Gurugram and Delhi-Noida borders, where traffic police and enforcement teams checked vehicles entering the national capital.Long queues built up near Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) toll booths and other entry points across the National Capital Region (NCR).Commuters faced bumper-to-bumper traffic as officials stopped vehicles that failed to meet the prescribed emission standards.Delhi's AQI stood at 261 on Sunday, matching the reading recorded on July 12. The index had last crossed the 250 mark on April 17, when it stood at 263.Of the 57 air quality monitoring stations across the city, 22 recorded air quality in the very poor category, 21 reported poor air quality and the remaining 14 registered moderate levels.Jahangirpuri recorded the highest AQI at 378, close to the severe category, which begins at 401. PM2.5 remained the predominant pollutant in the national capital.The worsening air quality coincided with the rollout of a series of special winter pollution-control measures. These include restrictions on vehicles registered outside Delhi that conform to BS-IV or older emission standards, a ban on dust-generating outdoor construction activities, a doubling of parking charges and a cap of 50% on physical attendance in government and private offices.The restrictions will remain in force for different periods between November 1 and February 28. They are aimed at curbing vehicular emissions, dust pollution and traffic congestion during the winter months.Round-the-clock checks at bordersEnforcement teams have begun round-the-clock inspections to ensure compliance with the new measures. Automatic number plate recognition cameras installed at entry points and other key locations are being used to identify vehicles violating the restrictions.The Delhi transport department has deployed around 250 enforcement personnel at major entry points, toll plazas and identified pollution hotspots.A total of 39 teams have been stationed across 13 major toll plazas, including DND, Rajokri on NH-48, Ghazipur, Singhu border, Tikri and Badarpur.Officials have been instructed to act against vehicles that do not comply with the restrictions. Action includes issuing electronic challans and impounding vehicles in accordance with the rules.Commuters question effectiveness of pollution curbsThe congestion at Delhi's entry points also drew criticism on social media, with commuters complaining about long queues and questioning whether the restrictions would lead to a meaningful improvement in air quality."If you are travelling to Delhi in the next few days, you will have to bear the brunt of this type of traffic. Plan accordingly. Delhi-NCR's air quality will have zero improvement because of this step," a social media user posted.Another commuter said: "Three hours stuck at the Delhi border. What is the use of us even coming? The event I was supposed to attend was already halfway through. These restrictions are meant to reduce pollution, but commuters are being left stranded in endless traffic jams. And the funny thing is, it may not even prove effective in improving air quality."Construction ban, higher parking charges and work-from-home capThe restrictions also include a ban on all dust-generating demolition and outdoor civil construction activities from November 1 to January 31. Specified essential public infrastructure projects are exempt, subject to prescribed conditions.A complete ban on construction and demolition activities, barring specified exemptions, will also be in place from December 10 to January 20.Parking charges at authorised parking lots across Delhi have been doubled for the period from November 1 to February 28. Government and private offices have been asked to limit physical attendance to 50%, with the remaining employees working from home.Essential and emergency services have been exempted from the attendance restrictions.In a move aimed at easing traffic congestion, MCD offices will operate from 8.30 am to 5 pm, while state government offices will function from 10 am to 6.30 pm.Transport emissions account for 16.4% of contributionAccording to the Decision Support System (DSS) for air quality management, transport emissions accounted for 16.4% of Delhi's pollution contribution on Sunday.Among other sources within the city, industries contributed 3%, residential sources 4%, construction 2.2%, energy 1.2%, road dust 1.2% and other sectors 1.1%.Among neighbouring NCR districts, Jhajjar accounted for 9.2% of the pollution contribution, followed by Gurugram at 4.8%, Bhiwani at 2.7%, Rohtak at 2.2% and Bulandshahr at 0.3%, according to the DSS estimates.Stubble burning contributed up to 18.5% of Delhi's pollution, while other sectors accounted for 24.3%, the estimates showed.Air quality likely to remain poor to very poorThe Air Quality Early Warning System has forecast that Delhi's air quality is likely to remain in the poor category from November 2 to November 3.The outlook for the following six days indicates that air quality could remain between the poor and very poor categories.With winter setting in and pollution levels expected to remain elevated, the impact of the new restrictions will be closely monitored in the coming days.Their effectiveness will also be under scrutiny as enforcement at the city's borders raises concerns over traffic management and the inconvenience caused to commuters.(With PTI inputs)You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in DelhiStay updated with the latest Delhi news. 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