Amid worsening air pollution in Delhi, authorities implemented Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) immediately on Tuesday. This decision followed the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital falling into the ‘severe’ category for the first time this season, increasing from 362 on Monday to 425 at 9 am on Tuesday.
Severe AQI levels recorded in Delhi
Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)’s Sameer app indicated that at 7 am on Tuesday, 34 of the city’s 39 active stations recorded ‘severe’ AQI levels, with many at the higher end of the scale. Bawana recorded an AQI of 462, Wazirpur 460, and both Mundka and Punjabi Bagh 452.
An AQI between 51 and 100 is classified as ‘satisfactory’; 101 to 200 as ‘moderate’; 201 to 300 as ‘poor’; 301 to 400 as ‘very poor’; and above 400 as ‘severe’.
GRAP-III implemented: What’s allowed and what’s not?
Non-essential construction and demolition activities completely banned. This includes tasks like earth excavation, piling, laying sewer lines, and electric cables through open trench systems, as well as operating Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC) batching plants.
All private BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel light motor vehicles (four-wheelers) in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Noida banned. Other restrictions include a ban on non-essential diesel-run BS-IV medium goods vehicles and on BS-IV and lower diesel light commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi, except those transporting essential goods or providing essential services.
Read also: Congress Delivers 1.12 Crore Signatures Demanding Electoral Fraud Probe