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Air quality across Delhi and the National Capital Region continues to deteriorate, with the average Air Quality Index touching 399, just a notch below the hazardous category. Key locations including India Gate, ITO, and Kartavya Path recorded poor visibility and severe pollution levels as a thick blanket of toxic smog covered the city. Despite the enforcement of GRAP 2 measures and the winter action plan, meteorological conditions and local pollutants have kept skies heavily congested. The worsening environmental conditions have triggered a fierce political exchange between authorities in Delhi and Punjab over stubble burning. While allegations were raised regarding farm fires in Punjab impacting the national capital, counterclaims dismissed these charges as an attempt to defame local farmers, noting that harvesting had not commenced in certain regions. Ground reports from Punjab revealed sporadic stubble fires even as authorities cited reduced counts compared to previous seasons.

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00:00Delhi's air quality continues to remain alarming. The capital's air quality is at $3.99, a notch below the hazardous
00:07category.
00:08Thick layer of toxic smog blankets the entire national capital. In fact, not just the national capital, but the entire
00:14national capital region.
00:16Delhi's Indiagate, ITO, Industrial Belt, Remain Pollution, Hotspots, VVIP zones like Katavya Path are in red zone.
00:24Air quality is worsening, but Delhi Punjab government's bicker. The blame game continues between the Delhi and the Punjab government.
00:31They are blaming each other for the pollution in the national capital region. Delhi Minister, the Environment Minister in Delhi,
00:38Manjinder Singh Sirsa,
00:40has claimed Punjab is burning crops and that is what is leading to pollution in Delhi.
00:45Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwan Tmal has hit back. He's crying a bit to defame Punjab.
00:51So that is about the blame game. But if you talk about the situation, the situation is worsening.
00:56The AQI currently stands at $3.99. And my colleague Anshul Singh is now joining us with more details on
01:02the Sanchal.
01:03How is the situation like today? We're learning that the average AQI is $3.99, which is just a notch
01:08below the hazardous air quality.
01:20All right, we'll try to fix that connection with Anshul. But if you talk about the air quality in the
01:25national capital, that is worsening.
01:28If you talk about the AQI levels today, it is at $3.99, which is just below the hazardous air
01:33quality.
01:34And as the situation continues to worsen, the blame game also continues between the BJP government in Delhi and the
01:41Punjab Amadmi Party government.
01:43They are blaming each other for the pollution. But it is the residents of Delhi and NCR that are facing,
01:50that are bearing the brunt of this pollution.
01:53And it's the same story every year. Pollution happens. Pollution keeps on increasing.
01:57The levels keeps on increasing. The AQI keeps on increasing. And the government keeps the blame game on.
02:05They keep blaming each other. But the action cannot be seen on the ground. It's the same story every year.
02:11The year changes, but the visuals that we get from the national capital region in this time of the year
02:17remain the same.
02:19My colleague Anshul Singh is back with us.
02:21Anshul, how does the situation look like on the ground?
02:24Because we're learning that the average AQI today is $3.99, which is just below the hazardous category.
02:34Oh, well, yes, the restrictions have now been imposed.
02:37The grab-to restrictions have now been imposed out here in the national capital.
02:40But the AQI today as well remains very, very concerning.
02:44In fact, in several quarters, it has been reported as hazardous as well.
02:48If I could just give you a sense around in the visuals, you can see that today as well,
02:54the entire national capital is engulfed in a thick layer of smog.
02:58In fact, certain AQI readings that have come up from the bordering area,
03:04specifically like that of Alipur, which is right on the borders of the national capital,
03:08is above the 400 mark as well.
03:11Whereas out here in the New Delhi district, the AQI is in the very poor category and is above the
03:17300 mark.
03:18So over the next few days, what the IMD has predicted that the AQI will remain bad
03:23and it could go from bad to worse due to the current wind conditions
03:27as it is not expected that there could be any rains that could happen in the national capital
03:31over the next two to three days.
03:33Now, post-Diwali, it is expected that there could be some relief that could come up
03:38as the wind conditions might change.
03:39But the current wind conditions are such that the pollutants, specifically the local agents of pollution
03:47that comes out from the national capital, these pollutants are not able to escape from the skies
03:52of the national capital due to geographical location and the kind of air conditions
03:56that is circulating over the national capital at this point in time.
03:59So it is expected post-Diwali there could be some relief.
04:02But over the next three to four days, it's going to be a very, very difficult task
04:07for the people of Delhi NCR to actually get a gas of fresh air in this very, very toxic environment.
04:13And slowly, the national capital is turning into a gas chamber yet again.
04:18All right, Anshul, thank you for those details.
04:21We'll keep coming back to you for more updates on the situation in the national capital.
04:25So ahead of Diwali, Delhi continues to battle its apocalypse.
04:30And as the national capital woke up to another hazy morning, as we just showed you,
04:35air quality levels remain just a step away from hitting the hazardous mark.
04:39The AQI stood at 399 at Indiagate and 296 in Anand Bihar,
04:44with poor visibility across parts of the city as a thick haze blanketed the skyline.
04:48On November 4th, that is yesterday, several areas in Delhi have recorded AQI levels well
04:55above 400, falling in the severe category.
04:58The air quality in the capital is worsening by the day, despite the winter action plan
05:03that has already been imposed and grab-to measures being in place.
05:06Even as the capital chokes, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa
05:10has blamed the Punjab government for Delhi's pollution,
05:13accusing it of deliberately allowing stubble burning.
05:16But Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Man hit back at Sirsa,
05:19saying that Punjab farmers have no role to play in air pollution in Delhi,
05:23alleging that this is a bid to defend Punjab.
05:26He also added that harvest has not even begun in Malwa.
05:31As the political verbal spat continues over pollution,
05:35we are in Patiala and you can see the stubble burning happening over here.
05:38Although, as compared to the past few years,
05:40the stubble burning has reduced in Punjab a number of times
05:44and in a big number.
05:47But still, the cases are coming.
05:48Close to 2,000 cases have come of stubble burning in Punjab.
05:51Although the Delhi government continuously blames
05:54the Punjab government for failing to control it,
05:56but the Punjab government says
05:57that we have continuously made efforts
06:00to bring down the number of stubble fires.
06:03But it is the Delhi government which has failed to manage its affairs.
06:06But as we travel between Sangroor and Patiala,
06:09this is one spot in Patiala where we can see stubble fire
06:13being burnt over here in the Patiala region
06:16from Patiala with President Amandir Shah Simbassi, India, today.
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