The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has issued a press release on the air quality in the national capital of Delhi. This release was issued on 6th October, 2023.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) daily AQI Bulletin, the average Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi crossed the ‘Moderate’ threshold and entered the ‘Poor’ category, with a reading of 212.
In response to this deteriorating air quality, the Sub-Committee for operationalization of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) under the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas (CAQM) convened a meeting to assess the situation. The committee considered the air quality forecasts from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and observed a sudden dip in air quality over the last 24 hours.
Given the predictions of continued ‘Poor’ air quality in Delhi for the next few days, the Sub-Committee has decided to invoke Stage-I of GRAP immediately across the entire National Capital Region (NCR). This action plan is aimed at preventing further deterioration of air quality.
Under Stage-I of GRAP, various agencies, including Pollution Control Boards (PCBs) of NCR states and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), will implement a 27-point action plan to address the ‘Poor’ air quality. Some of the key actions include:
- Ensuring proper implementation of dust mitigation measures in construction and demolition activities.
- Strict compliance with guidelines for projects with plot sizes equal to or greater than 500 sqm.
- Regular lifting and proper disposal of waste from designated sites.
- Mechanized sweeping and water sprinkling on roads.
- Enforcing PUC (Pollution Under Control) norms for vehicles.
- Strict actions against visibly polluting vehicles.
- Compliance with emissions standards in industries, brick kilns, and thermal power plants.
- Enforcing the ban on overaged diesel/petrol vehicles.
- Strictly enforcing pollution control regulations.
Additionally, the Sub-Committee urges citizens of the NCR to cooperate in implementing GRAP and follow the steps outlined in the Citizen Charter of Stage-I, which include maintaining vehicles, avoiding open burning of waste, and using eco-friendly transportation.
The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas (CAQM) will closely monitor the situation and review the air quality scenario regularly in the coming days. Detailed information about GRAP can be found on the Commission’s official website.
