Just six days after the implementation of the revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) against the air pollution crisis in the national capital, the city has already recorded its first 'poor' air quality day.

As a result, Stage 1 of the GRAP has been implemented across Delhi-NCR. The decision to implement the first stage of the plan was taken at an emergency meeting of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Wednesday.

The GRAP for air pollution will introduce several short-term measures to reduce air pollution across the region. The plan has been divided into four stages on the basis of the levels of air quality – poor, very poor, severe, and severe plus.

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Under Stage 1 or the poor stage of the GRAP, the authorities will be restricting construction and demolition activities, implementing dust mitigation measures, using mechanized sweeping and water sprinkling on roads, prohibiting open burning of biomass and municipal solid waste, and cracking down on brick kilns, etc.

However, if air quality continues to dip, then additional responses could be taken as part of the GRAP. If the air quality slips to the very poor stage, additional restrictions like a near-complete ban on the use of diesel generators, increased parking fees, and a ban on the use of coal and firewood in eateries would follow.

Further deterioration in air quality will see harsher measures like a near-complete ban on construction and demolition, closure of brick kilns and hot mix plants using non-approved fuels, and restricting entry of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles to the city.

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Under the severe plus or Stage 4 of the plan, only BS-VI vehicles along with vehicles for emergency and essential services will be allowed on roads, all industries using non-approved fuels will be shut down, and the Delhi government may bring in additional emergency measures like the closure of schools and colleges, along with restricting workforce to only 50 percent strength in private and government offices.

First Published:Oct 6, 2022 11:01 PM IST