The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Friday invoked Stage 3 measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR amid forecasts of a deterioration in air quality.
Ahead of Diwali, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 382 in the 'very poor' category at 4 pm on Thursday, according to the commission.
Under GRAP, Stage 1 measures are triggered when the AQI is between 201 and 300, while Stage 2 is invoked when it is between 301 and 400. Stage 3 measures kick in when the AQI is between 401 and 450, while Stage 4 is invoked when it exceeds 450.
In its daily bulletin, IITM-Pune said, "Air quality is likely to be in the 'very poor' category on November 6. The air quality is likely to be in the 'severe' category from November 7 to 9. The outlook for the subsequent 6 Days: The air quality is likely to be in the 'severe' to 'very poor' category."
GRAP is a set of emergency measures triggered to prevent further deterioration in air quality once pollution levels cross specified thresholds.
Under GRAP-3, strict restrictions are imposed on construction and demolition (C&D) activities that generate dust or cause air pollution across the NCR.
In addition, state governments in the NCR and the Delhi government have to decide whether to allow public, municipal and private offices to operate with 50 per cent of their staff, with the remaining employees working from home.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported a morning temperature of 17.8°C in Delhi, with skies remaining mainly clear. It forecast shallow fog over the next four days, followed by fog or mist during the early morning hours on November 10 and 11.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday flagged vehicular emissions as a major contributor to air pollution in Delhi-NCR and stressed the need for immediate, medium-term and long-term measures to tackle worsening air quality, with the city's AQI nearing the severe category.
The court expressed concern over the “bumper-to-bumper” traffic on roads across the national capital and neighbouring areas. It observed that the large number of vehicles plying between Delhi and the NCR was a major source of pollution. “We keep talking, sometimes make statements and suggestions, but the point is that AQI is already touching 400,” CJI Surya Kant observed while hearing a suo motu case examining the regulatory framework governing air pollution.
"No restriction is going to work. The more orders we pass, the more violations will multiply," the court observed.
Meanwhile, a local resident, Sarvesh, said pollution had made it extremely difficult to breathe and was causing irritation in his eyes. "It's causing a lot of problems. As you can see, it's morning, and there isn't much traffic, but because of the pollution, it's hard to breathe, and I'm feeling anxious. There's a lot of smog, making it feel like the middle of January. So, there are a lot of issues, like a burning sensation in the eyes," he said.
Another resident Nemichand Sharma said the crisis felt like the predictable consequence of unchecked urbanisation and administrative apathy.
"They have been given a free pass: wherever dirt is going to spread, just let it spread. Do whatever you want. And every day, instead of showing the pollution from Akshardham and solving the problem, governments are doing nothing with all their machinery except making money in the name of pollution. There is no ground-level work to end pollution," he said.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI and ENS)
