Urgency of crisis demands quick action
Returning from a month-long holiday in the US, I was immediately struck by the urgency of the pollution crisis as I landed in Delhi, past midnight this week.
The Delhi government is likely to review the ban imposed under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) restrictions as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital has started improving slightly.
The air quality has reached to “very poor” category from “severe” on Monday. Earlier the government had imposed restrictions and shut primary schools and restricted outdoor activities of students above Class fifth.
The overall AQI of the city improved further on 326 in the “very poor” category this morning, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).
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Gopal Rai, Delhi Environment Minister has also called a meeting today to review the ongoing ban in the city in the wake of GRAP restrictions.
The CAQM on Sunday took the decision to revoke the restrictions imposed under the GRAP 4 measures, however the restrictions of the third phase of GRAP will be continued in Delhi-NCR.
The concentration of both PM 2.5 and PM 10 in the environment was recorded at 326 under the “very poor” category and 205 under “poor” category respectively.
Meanwhile, the central committee on Air Quality Management on Sunday removed the the GRAP-4 restrictions from Delhi and National Capital Region. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday evening revoked the GRAP-4 restrictions from Delhi and National Capital Region Region as the air index quality on Sunday showed slight improvement.
Delhi Government had banned the entry of trucks other than essential services in the national capital following the introduction of GRAP IV.
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