New Delhi: As Delhi's air quality turned to 'severe' category, the Centre's pollution control panel has issued directions on Thursday night to halt non-essential construction work, stone crushing and mining in Delhi-NCR.
The Centre's Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) issued guidelines for Stage - III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) worked out to control air pollution. GRAP categorises actions into four stages: Stage I - 'Poor' (AQI 201-300); Stage II - 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III - 'Severe' (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV - 'Severe Plus' (AQI>450).
The action comes after the CAQM banned all the old diesel buses from National Capital Region (NCR) of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana as the air quality in the capital deteriorated to 'Very Poor' from 'Poor'.
Here's everything you need to know:
Delhi's air quality- Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 402 at 5 pm. Health experts suggest that the condition would worsen asthma and lung problems in children and the elderly, when exposed to the polluted air. The city's AQI was recorded at 351 at 10 am, Thursday. The 24-hour average AQI stood at 364. It was 359 on Tuesday, 347 on Monday, 325 on Sunday, 304 on Saturday and 261 on Friday.
CAQM Sub-Committee meeting- At a meeting to review the air quality situation in Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for developing strategies to combat pollution in the region, observed that pollution levels are only "expected to increase further" due to highly unfavourable meteorological and climatic conditions.
The Sub-Committee, constituted for invoking actions under the GRAP, said it comprehensively reviewed the air quality scenario in the region as well as the forecasts for meteorological conditions and air quality index made available by Indian Meteorological Department and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology,
It observed that the City's AQI has been on deteriorating trend since 10 am on Thursday and the sharp increases in the AQI worsened through the day. The average stood at 392 at 4 pm and at 402 at 5 pm.
"Keeping in view the prevailing trend of air quality, in an effort to prevent further deterioration of the air quality, the sub-committee decided that ALL actions as envisaged under Stage III of the GRAP 'Severe Air Quality (DELHI AQI ranging between 401-450) be implemented in right earnest by all the agencies concerned in the NCR, with immediate effect, in addition to the stage I and II actions already in force," the Committee said in a state detailing the 8-point action plan.
Halt of non-essential construction work- As per Stage III of GRAP, a complete halt on construction and demolition work, except for essential government projects, mining and stone crushing, has been ordered.
Construction work related to national security or defence, projects of national importance, healthcare, railways, metro rail, airports, interstate bus terminals, highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, power transmission, pipelines, sanitation and water supply is exempt from the ban, the directions said.
BS-III petrol & BS-IV diesel vehicle ban- The Stage III also provides for restrictions on plying of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar.
It is pertinent to note that only electric, CNG and BS VI-compliant diesel buses were be allowed to operate between Delhi and the cities and towns in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan that fall under the ambit of the National Capital Region (NCR) from Nov. 1. No entry will be in place for older BS-III and BS-IV diesel engine buses from the neighbouring states in its bid to improve air quality.
Online classes mooted- The CAQM also suggested that Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan may conduct online classes for students up to class 5. The decision has been left to the Government of National Capital Territory.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has also called a meeting on Friday to discuss implementation of pollution control measures under Stage III of GRAP, PTI reported quoting officials said.
Health concerns- Health is a major concern when there is a surge in air pollution. "We are recording a surge in the number of irritative bronchitis infections. It is recommended that people suffering from respiratory issues such as chronic bronchitis and asthma take their medicines regularly and do not go out in the open unless absolutely necessary," said Jugal Kishore, the head of the medicine department at Safdarjung Hospital.
Considering the spike in indoor pollution in Delhi, the doctor advised people to use air purifiers in their homes.
Scientists have warned of a spike in pollution levels in Delhi-NCR over the next two weeks.
What you can do? The committee suggested Delhiites to adhere to a six point citizen charter and assist in effective implementation of the GRAP measures aimed towards sustaining and improving the Air Quality in the region, as under:
- Walk or use cycles for small distances.
- Choose a cleaner commute. Share a ride to work or use public transport.
- People, whose positions allow working from home, may work from home.
- Do not use coal and wood for heating purpose.
- Individual house owners may provide electric heaters (during winters) to security staff to avoid open burning.
- Combine errands and reduce trips.
How is the situation in neighbourhood? Residents in multiples cities of neighbouring Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh also breathed hazardous air, as there was a steady decrease air quality faced in the region.
The cities where AQI was categorised as 'Very Poor' and 'Severe' include Hanumangarh (438) and Sri Ganganagar (359) in Rajasthan; Hisar (414), Fatehabad (423), Jind (413), Rohtak (388), Sonepat (374), Kurukshetra (343), Karnal (343), Kaithal (379), Bhiwani (355), Faridabad (368) and Gurugram (297) in Haryana; and Ghaziabad (286), Noida (313) and Greater Noida (402) in Uttar Pradesh.
Delhi's date with poor air quality- According to experts, the major reason behind the accumulation of pollutants in recent days is the lack of rainfall during the post-monsoon season so far. The official data shared by the government, the national capital's air quality in October this year was the worst since 2020 and weather scientists attribute it to the rainfall shortfall.
In October, Delhi recorded an AQI of 219, compared to 210 in last year in the same period and 173 in October 2021, the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed. As regards to the rainfall, the capital received 129 mm in October 2022 and 123 mm in October 2021. This October, Delhi experienced only one rainy day with a 5.4 mm of precipitation.
These unfavourable meteorological conditions, coupled with emissions from firecrackers, paddy straw burning and local pollution sources, fuel the hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during winter.
A study undertaken by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) suggested that the capital experiences peak pollution from November 1 to November 15 when the number of stubble burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana increase.
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