00:00Shifting focus to the national capital where the air quality remains alarming.
00:05It's at around 399, which is just a notch below the hazardous category of AQI.
00:12And there's a thick layer of smog that has engulfed the entire national capital region.
00:17If we talk about India Gate, ITO, the industrial belts all remain the pollution hotspots in the national capital.
00:25VVIP zones like Tarvipat is also in the red zone.
00:28So air quality is worsening.
00:30It's the Diwali week and the air quality continues to worsen.
00:34But Delhi and Punjab governments are indulging in a blame game.
00:38The blame game continues.
00:40They are blaming each other for the increasing pollution levels.
00:45The Delhi government is saying that it is the stubble burning which is happening in Punjab
00:48which is contributing to the pollution levels.
00:50Whereas the Punjab government is saying that this is just a bid to defame Punjab.
00:55So Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has claimed that Punjab stubble burning is to be blamed for the pollution in
01:03the national capital.
01:04And every year we see this blame game happening between the Delhi government and the Punjab government
01:09where the Delhi government pins the blame on the Punjab government and the stubble burning for the rise in the
01:15AQI levels.
01:16If we talk about the AQI levels, yesterday in the national capital, several areas had recorded AQI above 400.
01:23Now above 400 is the severe category, the hazardous category of the AQI levels.
01:29If you talk about the average AQI, that stands somewhere around 399 which is just a notch below the hazardous
01:36category.
01:36And mind you, this is just days ahead of Diwali.
01:40So the worst is yet to come.
01:42This is ahead of Diwali that we are witnessing such a situation in the national capital.
01:47My colleague Anshul Singh is now joining us from the ground with the latest.
01:51Anshul, how does the situation look like on the ground?
01:54Because yesterday we saw how several areas in the national capital recorded AQI levels in the severe category above the
02:01400 mark.
02:06Well, today as well, the situation is very, very grim.
02:09Several stations have reported the AQI above 400 as well.
02:14If I could just give you a sense of how the national capital has yet again been incurred in a
02:19thick layer of smog.
02:20The visuals that you are seeing on your screens right now should have been of the Rashpati Bhavan.
02:25But the Rashpati Bhavan is absolutely invisible at this point in time.
02:29Remember, there is no fog per se at this point in time.
02:34But there is a thick layer of smog that has yet again incurved the entire national capital.
02:39At least eight of these stations out here in the New Delhi district have already reported the AQI above the
02:46400 mark.
02:47And it is expected that the AQI would remain in the severe category for the coming few days as well.
02:53And hence, it is expected that the restrictions of Grab 3 could also be implemented in the national capital very,
03:00very, very, very soon.
03:02There could be further more restrictions.
03:03You can see on the other side, this is the India Gate.
03:06And India Gate is also almost invisible at this point.
03:09So, this clearly shows that how the pollution has yet again gone ahead and turned the national capital into a
03:15gas chamber.
03:16It remains to be seen after the restrictions that have been imposed, the kind of implementation that has been done
03:22on Ground Zero.
03:23What kind of effect will it have on the pollution levels out here in the national capital?
03:27But the manner in which the AQI is deteriorating, the IMD has predicted that the AQI would remain in the
03:34severe category could get even worse over the next three to four days before there could be some relief that
03:39could be brought in due to the wind conditions.
03:42At this point in time, the wind conditions are such that the pollutants that are emitted out of local sources
03:49of pollution out here in the national capital, that is not getting anywhere to escape.
03:53Apart from that, there is trouble burning that is happening in the other parts of the country as well.
03:59And that smog from there is also coming over here and is being collected over the national capital due to
04:04this geographical location.
04:06So, yes, there are restrictions, but the relief that was being hoped for by the people of Delhi NCR, that
04:12relief is nowhere to be seen at this point.
04:14All right, Anshul, thank you for getting us all those details.
04:17So, Delhi, like every year, has been converted into a gas chamber and the situation will remain the same or
04:24even worsen in the coming days.
04:26There will be no relief and the AQI is expected to remain in the severe category.
04:35So, ahead of Diwali, Delhi continues to battle its apocalypse as the national capital woke up to another hazy morning.
04:43As we just showed you, air quality levels remain just a step away from hitting the hazardous mark.
04:48The AQI stood at 399 at India Gate and 296 in Anand Bihar, with poor visibility across parts of the
04:55city as a thick haze blanketed the skyline.
04:57On November 4th, that is yesterday, several areas in Delhi have recorded AQI levels well above 400, falling in the
05:04severe category.
05:05The air quality in the capital is worsening by the day, despite the winter action plan and grab-to measures
05:11being in place.
05:12Even as the capital chokes, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has blamed the Punjab government for Delhi's pollution,
05:19accusing it of deliberately allowing stubble burning.
05:22But Punjab Chief Minister Bhagawan Tman has hit back at Sirsa, saying that Punjab farmers have no role to play
05:28in air pollution in Delhi,
05:29alleging that this is a bid to defame Punjab.
05:31He also added that harvest has not even begun in Malwa.
05:52In a big number, but still, the cases are coming, close to 2,000 cases have come of stubble burning
05:57in Punjab.
05:57Although the Delhi government continuously blames the Punjab government for failing to control it,
06:03but the Punjab government says that we have continuously made efforts to bring down the number of stubble fires,
06:09but it is the Delhi government which has failed to manage its affairs.
06:12But as we travel between Sangroor and Patayala, this is one spot in Patayala where we can see stubble fire
06:19being burnt over here in the Patayala region.
06:23From Patayala, with Kamar Prasnaman, this is a Simbassi, India, today.
06:26The Punjab government says that the Punjab government has won't come, but it is the same spot in Punjab government.
06:41The Punjab government has failed to do it, and has failed to do it, and has failed to do it.
07:14So the war of words continues
07:16between the Punjab and the Delhi government.
07:19The Delhi government is blaming the stubble burning in Punjab
07:22to be one of the crucial factors behind the rising pollution
07:26in the national capital, whereas the Punjab government
07:28has hit back saying that Punjab has no role to play in this.
07:31Punjab farmers have no role to play in the Delhi pollution.
07:35Some more news coming in on the story.
