The air quality in Delhi remained “very poor” for the second consecutive day on Thursday, PTI reported. The overall Air Quality Index stood at 316 by 9 pm, according to data from the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research.

The AQI on Wednesday was recorded at 315 for the first time this season. An index value between 301 and 400 is considered “very poor” and it is “severe” between 401 and 500.

As per the National Air Quality Index, Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 313 at 9 pm on Thursday. Dwarka Sector 8 recorded a figure of 384, Bawana 394, Rohini 390, Jahangirpuri 325 and ITO 260.

The PM10 level, which is the presence of particles with diameter less than 10 microns, stood at 238 micrograms per cubic metre in the city. The overall PM2.5 level was 308 micrograms per cubic metre.

Delhi’s Environment Minister Imran Hussain said the Aam Aadmi Party-led government has formed a six-member team to conduct surprise inspections across the city. The inspections are part of an effort to monitor pollution control measures in the city.

Hussain asked the officials concerned to submit details about mechanical sweeping and sprinkling vehicles and asked development agencies to ensure that all construction sites adhere to the Construction and Demolition Waste Rules, 2016, that prohibit dust emission.

The Delhi government has also incentivised public transport use by offering a 10% discount on common mobility cards in Delhi Transport Corporation cluster buses. “The metro card usage started in DTC cluster buses on August 24,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters. “This was necessary in view of rising air pollution to encourage more and more people to use public transport.”

Sisodia appealed to the central and state governments of Haryana and Punjab to take steps to reduce pollution in north India. “The Centre should intervene,” Sisodia said. “Farmers have not been given subsidy. This is the failure on the part of the central and the state governments. As December and January is nearing, the entire north India, including Delhi, is close to becoming a gas chamber.”

The Central Pollution Control Board has predicted that the pollution will worsen over the coming days, reported the Hindustan Times.

“As wind speed dropped to zero, the pollutants could not disperse,” said an unidentified senior official of the pollution board. “Besides that, the wind direction has changed to northwest, thereby carrying into Delhi pollutants from stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana.”

The festive season also meant more vehicles on the road, which added to the pollution, said the official.

The Graded Response Action Plan, put in place last year on the directions of the Supreme Court after high pollution levels in the winter of 2016, was implemented on Monday. It includes a ban on diesel generator sets, mechanised sweeping of roads and deployment of traffic police to ensure smooth passage of traffic in vulnerable areas.

An increase in parking fee by three or four times is one of the measures to tackle “very poor” air quality. However, that is unlikely to be implemented this year as the Delhi Parking Policy, 2017, is yet to be notified.

Centre for Science and Environment Director-General Sunita Narain said the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, tasked by the Supreme Court to monitor implementation, is observing the situation very closely, reported The Times of India. “We will not hike parking charges because it will be difficult to implement in the absence of a parking policy,” she said. “The other measures are in place and only need execution on the ground.”

Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority Chairperson Bhure Lal said that all agencies have been directed to step up ensure implementation of the action plan and take action against violators. “The chief secretaries of Delhi and NCR cities have been told to closely monitor enforcement and take additional measures if necessary at pollution hotspots,” he said.