Delhi Chokes: Dense Fog, 'Very Poor' Air Quality Grip Capital; Parking Charges Doubled

• Dense fog and 'very poor' air quality (AQI 377) engulfed Delhi-NCR on Thursday morning, severely reducing visibility.
• Areas like Swaminarayan Akshardham temple (Pandav Nagar), ITO, and AIIMS recorded AQI levels of 377, 331, and 359 respectively.
• 29 monitoring stations reported 'very poor' air quality, with nine in the 'poor' category on Wednesday.
• Delhi government doubled parking charges at authorized sites to curb private vehicle use under GRAP Stage III and IV.
• Vehicles contribute significantly to Delhi's air pollution, accounting for 19.7% of PM10 and 25.1% of PM2.5 emissions in winters.

Why It Matters: Delhi faces severe air pollution and dense fog, prompting increased parking charges to reduce vehicle emissions.