NEW DELHI: The air quality of Delhi-NCR which has sustained in a “very poor” zone after Diwali is hoped to improve in the coming days, said the Commission for Air Quality Management on Wednesday.“A positive impact and improvement is likely to be seen in the air quality of NCR in the coming days because of effective steps and stringent actions taken under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP),” said Dr VK Soni, Member of the GRAP Sub-Committee.
The prediction from the central air pollution monitoring panel in NCR came after a review meeting with the authorities of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to take stock of the status of implementation of Stage III of GRAP in the NCR, officials said.
The review was done by CAQM in addition to actions under Stage I and Stage II which the central body discussed in another meeting held a day ago. The meeting emphasised that the NCR districts should enhance the implementation of Stages I, II and III under GRAP with stringent actions, including heavy penalties against gross defaulters flouting the statutory directions of the commission.
“The NCR districts of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh were reiterated to enhance the implementation of Stage I, II and III under GRAP with stringent actions including heavy penalties against gross defaulters flouting the Statutory Directions of the Commission,” according to a senior official.
The review meeting focused on the activities enforced under the stages of GRAP including enhancing water sprinklers including use of fire tenders, round-the-clock mechanical sweeping of roads, augmentation and increased utilisation of smog guns at construction and demolition sites, effective waste management, improved vigilance against waste burning and strict penal actions, ensuring use of only approved cleaner fuels in industries.