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National capital Delhi is seeing a rise in the air pollution levels again this year. In the wake of worsening conditions, the central government has banned non-essential construction work in Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region). The government invoked the Stage-3 curbs of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi.
Delhi‘s overall AQI is steadily rising since on Friday morning. It stood at 397 at 10 am and 409 at 4 pm.
The Haryana and Uttar Pradesh government has been asked to consider discontinuing physical education classes amid declining air quality.
Unfavourable meteorological conditions including fog and haze with low wind speed are the major causes for a sudden spike in Delhi’s daily average air quality index (AQI), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for formulating strategies to combat pollution in the region, said in an order.
Re-invoking curbs under Stage-III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the CAQM ordered a ban on non-essential construction work, stone crushing, and mining in Delhi-NCR.
Construction work in Delhi related to national security or defense, projects of national importance, healthcare, railways, metro rail, airports, interstate bus terminals, highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, power transmission, pipelines, sanitation, and water supply are exempted from the ban.
Under Stage-III, restrictions are also imposed on the operation of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar.
GRAP is the Centre’s air pollution control plan implemented in the region during the winter season.
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).
According to the data, in Delhi vehicles contributed to 35 per cent of the PM2.5 concentration on Thursday at 5 pm, while biomass burning accounted for 34 per cent, and burning of plastic and waste contributed an additional 6 per cent. A comparison with the previous day’s data at the same time indicated a shift, with vehicles contributing 61 per cent, biomass burning contributing 20%, and waste burning contributing 1 per cent.
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Published: 22 Dec 2023, 06:38 PM IST
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