New Delhi [India], November 15 (ANI): A thick layer of smog veiled the national capital on Wednesday morning and the air quality was recorded in the ‘severe’ category in several parts of Delhi.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality in RK Puram was recorded at 420, it was at 408 at New Moti Bagh, 404 at the IGI Airport area and 433 at Nehru Nagar, all in the severe category.

Visuals from India Gate and Lodhi Road area this morning showed people working out and carrying on with their daily chores amid a layer of haze in the city.

The city was engulfed in a thick layer of smog on the night of Diwali and the toxic haze continued the next day following the bursting of firecrackers, despite the Supreme Court order.

Nine out of 11 state capitals analysed in India recorded higher pollution in the first 12 hours after Diwali celebrations this year as compared to last year.

The government’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) tracker analysed PM 2.5 (fine particulate matter) data for 11 capital cities.

The highest spike (recorded at 15-minute intervals) was seen in the national capital Delhi. It was at 999.5 ug/m3 at Pusa on November 13 at 1:30 am.

The NCAP Tracker is a joint project by Climate Trends and Respirer Living Sciences to create an online hub for the latest updates on India’s clean air policy, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

The data was sourced from the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Firecrackers were burst in the national capital and other cities on Diwali despite alarming pollution levels and the Supreme Court’s ban on bursting crackers.

Meanwhile, Delhi Labour Minister Raaj Kumar Anand took stock of the implementation of measures to control air pollution at the Jonti Border area and reviewed the ground situation there. The minister also took stock of the implementation of the pollution control measures in the Kanjhawala area.

“Pollution in Delhi has been on the rise after Diwali. We have to reduce the pollution level in Delhi and our government is continuously working for it. We have been asking the locals to cooperate,” Raaj Kumar Anand told ANI after the inspection in the Kanjhawala area.

The pollution control measures under stage four of the GRAP are currently underway in the national capital. It will continue until further orders, said Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday. (ANI)