The war room is able to see how much pollution is there in which area of ​​Delhi. Earlier there were just nine teams allocated, now it has been increased to 17 teams. Nandita Malhotra has been made in charge of the same.

According to the AQI scale, the air quality check between 0 and 50 are considered “good”, 51 and 100 are “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 are “moderate”, 201 and 300 are “poor”, 301 and 400 are “very poor”, and 401 and 450 are “severe” and “severe+” when AQI exceeds 450.

“Our first plan is to control pollution in Delhi. The second thing that is part of our winter action plan is coordinating with the states where stubble burning happens. Punjab has also prepared this time. According to reports, there will be less stubble burning in Punjab,” Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said. 

In addition, the government has also started deploying 530 water sprinklers to prevent dust pollution at 13 hotspots, and 385 teams will check vehicles’ pollution certificates and prevent the plying of overage cars.

Meanwhile, the central government has also recommended a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the Delhi-NCR region in the winter season, or Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) comes into force in the national capital from October 1. 

The steps of GRAP under the Winter Action Plan are very important. There are a total of four stages of GRAP. Stage 1 – ‘poor’ (AQI 201-300); Stage 2 – ‘very poor’ (AQI 301-400); Stage 3 – ‘severe’ (AQI 401-450); and Stage 4 – ‘severe plus’ (AQI >450).

The Commission for Air Quality Management, an autonomous body tasked with improving air quality in Delhi and the adjoining areas, had made changes to the GRAP last year and again in July 2023 in order to keep up with the changing circumstances.

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Updated: 04 Oct 2023, 09:54 AM IST