In the order, it said that the burning of waste materials, such as garbage, leaves, plastic, and rubber, has been strictly prohibited in all areas of Gurugram, news agency ANI reported.

The order further read that individuals, groups or entities found to be in violation of this order shall be penalised in accordance with the relevant provisions of the law.

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Noida and Greater Noida

Meanwhile, the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration said it will strictly ensure compliance with the anti-pollution body’s orders and enforce a ban on construction activities across Noida and Greater Noida, among others.

“The ban will not be on exempted essential works but only on those where applicable,” District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

“All construction activities except those exempted by the CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)) will be strictly banned and other guidelines of the GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan) will be strictly enforced in the district,” Verma told PTI.

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On CAQM’s provision for suspension of physical classes up to class 5 in schools, the DM said the rule is not binding on institutes. He, however, said the administration will issue an advisory for switching to online classes in the coming days once it goes through the details of the order.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board’s regional officer (Noida) Utsav Sharma said on Thursday evening that CAQM’s provisions under GRAP III have been invoked in the region.

The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a comprehensive plan that outlines specific actions to be taken at different levels of air pollution, ranging from moderate to severe.

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These actions include measures like banning certain industrial activities, road rationing and traffic diversions for heavy vehicles and controlling construction dust.

The CAQM has already activated the third stage of the GRAP in Delhi during a sub-committee meeting. The measures taken to curb pollution in the city include imposing a ban on construction activities and increasing the frequency of mechanised sweeping of roads amogn others.

Poor air quality in Delhi NCR

As per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the air quality in Delhi remains in the “very poor” category. The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) was 402 at 5 pm, the worst this season so far. The 24-hour average AQI was 364 on Wednesday, 359 on Tuesday, 347 on Monday, 325 on Sunday, 304 on Saturday, and 261 on Friday, PTI reported.

In Noida too, Thursday marked a hazy, smog-filled, with several residents taking to social media to raise their concerns about rising air pollution.

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The air quality index (AQI) at 8 pm was recorded at 384 (very poor) in Noida and 426 (severe) in Greater Noida, according to Central Pollution Control Board’s Sameer App. At 4 pm, the figures were recorded at 351 (very poor) and 402 (severe), respectively.

Many places in Haryana and Punjab Thursday reported air quality indices in the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ categories. In Gurugram, the AQI was at 297.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.

(With inputs from PTI)

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Updated: 02 Nov 2023, 11:16 PM IST