The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday revoked the curbs under its anti-pollution Graded Action Response Plan’s (GRAP) stage III, after the city’s AQI level (Air Quality Index) witnessed an improvement.
Smog spread a Blanket over this area , in the capital on Sunday. (Photo:Subrata Dutta)
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday revoked the curbs under its anti-pollution Graded Action Response Plan’s (GRAP) stage III, after the city’s AQI level (Air Quality Index) witnessed an improvement.
According to the sub-committee of the Centre’s panel that monitors Delhi NCR’s air quality, noting a downward trend in the AQI levels of Delhi, in its meeting on Sunday, reviewed the pollution level scenario in the region, and also considered the India Meteorological Department (IMD)/ Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) forecasts.
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The CAQM order read: “Owing to the favourable meteorological conditions and better wind speed, the AQI of Delhi has been continuously improving and has been recorded as 339 at 4:00 PM and 335 at 5:00 PM and the trend/ forecast indicates the AQI levels to further go down.” It said considering the air quality and weather forecast provided by the weather agencies, there is a likelihood of the AQI of Delhi remaining under the “Poor” category in the coming days owing to favourable meteorological conditions.
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The “Poor” category means that the AQI levels are between 201-300. However, the CAQM has stressed that the stage I and II measures of GRAP will remain in effect while the efforts would be intensified to ensure their implementation.
Earlier on Friday, the commission had invoked Stage-III curbs across the Delhi-NCR region, due to a surge in pollution levels.Prior to it, stage III curbs were lifted on December 27.
The GRAP is a set of emergency measures enforced in Delhi-NCR to mitigate rise in the level of pollutants in air, and its stages are invoked on the basis of the severity of the AQI levels. GRAP Stage III includes ban on non essential construction work, plying of BS-3 petrol and BS-4 Diesel four wheelers on roads, while also restricts diesel-operated medium goods vehicles with BS-IV or older standards in Delhi.
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