With Delhi’s air quality deteriorating to the “poor” category just a week before Diwali, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has activated the first stage of its Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the national capital and its surrounding regions.
According to an HT report, the decision was triggered on Tuesday as the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed to 211. Forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicate that air quality is likely to remain poor in the coming days, raising concerns ahead of the festive period.
The GRAP framework is a set of escalating measures designed to combat air pollution, with restrictions intensifying as the AQI worsens. Stage I, now in force, is implemented when the AQI falls within the 201 to 300 range, classified as ‘Poor’.
The CAQM has directed all relevant agencies in the National Capital Region (NCR) to strictly enforce 27 specific preventive measures. A key focus is on controlling dust, with mandates for increased mechanised road sweeping and water sprinkling. The use of anti-smog guns at construction sites is also to be escalated.
As part of the immediate curbs, a ban is in effect on diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. Authorities will enhance traffic control at major, congested intersections and drivers are compelled to switch off their engines at red signals. Monitoring of Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates will be intensified, with fines or impounding for violators.
The HT report further outlines a strict prohibition on open burning of garbage, leaves, biomass and municipal solid waste. In a significant pre-emptive move, the use of firecrackers has been banned. Roadside eateries are barred from using coal or wood as fuel and labour-intensive construction activities are prohibited unless adequate dust control measures are implemented.
Other necessary steps under GRAP-I include ensuring the scientific disposal of collected waste, encouraging offices to adopt carpooling for employees and mandating that industries in the NCR, including brick kilns, use only approved fuels. Non-destined truck traffic for Delhi must be diverted via the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways, in line with a Supreme Court order.
The annual decline in air quality during this season is attributed to a combination of unfavourable meteorological conditions, vehicle emissions, paddy-stubble burning in neighbouring states and local pollution sources. The activation of GRAP-I marks the official start of Delhi’s annual battle against toxic air, with more severe stages of the plan poised to be enacted if conditions worsen.
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