Toxic foam returns to Yamuna as AQI touches 168, GRAP-1 restrictions in force
Delhi is facing dual environmental crises as toxic foam reappears on the Yamuna River and air quality levels reach unhealthy thresholds. Authorities have implemented GRAP-1 restrictions to mitigate pollution, despite recent government claims of infrastructure progress.
Why it matters
The situation highlights the persistent gap between environmental policy announcements and the actual ecological health of urban centers in India.
NEW DELHI: Thick white foam has resurfaced on the Yamuna near Kalindi Kunj even as air pollution worsens across Delhi-NCR, with the region’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 168, indicating unhealthy air quality.The twin environmental concerns have once again brought the capital’s persistent air and river pollution problems into focus, days after Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta highlighted the government’s efforts to rejuvenate the Yamuna through major infrastructure projects.Delhi AQI reaches 168 as PM2.5, PM10 dominate pollution levelsPM2.5 and PM10 continued to be the primary pollutants across the national capital, although air quality readings varied between monitoring stations.The AQI was around 110 at PGDAV College in Sriniwaspuri, while several other stations recorded readings ranging from 118 to above 180.The worsening air quality prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to invoke Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR on October 21 to tackle rising…
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