Delhi has turned into a Gas Chamber, as residents of the National Capital are gasping for a fresh breath of air. On Friday, air quality in the national capital dipped further under the 'severe' category with Mundka recording the highest Air Quality Index (498), as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). As the quality of air deteriorated, a thick haze blanketed the skyline of the national capital.

According to the CPCB, the AQI in the Lodhi Road area was recorded at 438, in Jahangirpuri at 491, in the RK Puram area and in IGI Airport (T3) at 486 and 473 respectively. AQI at multiple locations in the NCR region of Noida also plunged to the 'severe' category with Sector 62, Sector 1 and Sector 116 recording 483, 413 and 415 respectively.

Watch Delhi Choking In Hazardous Air:


In another video, a grey blanket of haze can be seen near the Signature Bridge that has made visibility almost zero to negative in the city.

Some visuals from the capital show, the "Smog Tower" at Connaught Place locked up and not operational. It was inaugurated in 2021 at a cost of around Rs 20 Crores.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday said that the government cannot control the pollution in the national capital completely and that sources outside the city cause twice the pollution as inside. The Environment Minister said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi is working on a war footing to curb the pollution level.

"First of all, it is wrong to think that the Delhi Government can control pollution completely because the matter of pollution is not of Delhi alone. Sources outside Delhi cause twice the pollution here than the sources within Delhi," he said.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government on Thursday ordered for all the government and private primary schools to remain shut for the next two days. In the wake of the worsening air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Thursday.

Stage III of the GRAP is implemented when the AQI hits Severe in the range of 401-450. As part of its response to combat pollution the state government can impose strict restrictions on BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers in certain areas and may suspend physical classes in schools for primary grade children up to Class 5. The Delhi government has since suspended primary school classes.

Activities including earthwork for excavation and filling including boring and drilling works have been banned. As per the official release, a ban has been imposed on non-essential construction work, stone crushing and mining in the region.