Delhi gasps for breath as AQI continues to be ‘severe’, smog engulfs Capital

While the mean AQI of Delhi stood astatine 423 astatine 7 am, the astir polluted country successful the metropolis was Mundka (464), followed by Wazirpur and Alipur (462). The visibility astatine IGI Airport was 800 metres arsenic of 7 am.

According to the India Meteorological Department, smog oregon shallow fog conditions would prevail done the day.

What is Delhi doing to cheque the pollution?

With smog and precocious levels of aerial contamination successful Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management had issued directions for implementing Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) from Monday morning.

GRAP is simply a acceptable of exigency measures that footwear successful to forestall further deterioration of aerial prime erstwhile it reaches a definite threshold successful the Delhi-NCR region. Approved by the Supreme Court successful 2016 and notified successful 2017, the program was formulated aft respective meetings the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority held with authorities authorities representatives and experts.

Here’s what the GRAP IV rules state:

1. Stop introduction of motortruck postulation into Delhi (except for trucks carrying indispensable commodities/ providing indispensable services). All LNG/CNG/Electric/BS- VI Diesel trucks shall, however, beryllium permitted to participate Delhi.
2. Do not licence Light Commercial Vehicles (LCVs) registered extracurricular Delhi, different than EVs/CNG/BS- VI diesel, to participate Delhi, but those carrying indispensable commodities/providing indispensable services.
3. Enforce a strict prohibition connected plying of Delhi registered BS-IV and beneath diesel-operated Medium Goods Vehicles (MGVs) and Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) successful Delhi, but those carrying indispensable commodities/providing indispensable services.
4. Ban operation and demolition activities, arsenic successful the GRAP Stage-III, besides for linear nationalist projects specified arsenic highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, powerfulness transmission, pipelines, telecommunications, etc.
5. NCR authorities governments and the Delhi authorities whitethorn instrumentality a determination connected discontinuing carnal classes adjacent for classes VI-IX and people XI, and behaviour lessons successful an online mode.
6. NCR State governments/Delhi authorities to determine connected allowing public, municipal and backstage offices to enactment connected 50% spot and the remainder to enactment from home.
7. Central Government whitethorn marque due decisions connected permitting enactment from location for employees successful cardinal authorities offices.
8. State Governments whitethorn see further exigency measures similar the closure of colleges/ acquisition institutions and closure of non-emergency commercialized activities, permitting moving of vehicles connected odd-even ground of registration numbers etc.