Air Quality in Delhi dips to ‘poor’; GRAP initiated

NEW DELHI: The Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi plummeted and was declared ‘poor’ as per the data from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), on Wednesday. Subsequently the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in National Capital region (NCR) of Delhi and adjoining areas, initiated ‘phase one’ of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with ‘immediate effect’ to control air pollution.

The CAQM has prohibited all building and demolition work carried out over an area of 500 square metres or more that is not registered on the respective online portals of the governments of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The CAQM had mandated last year that all construction and demolition projects (on plot areas equal to or larger than 500 sqm) falling under the territorial control of urban local authorities in the NCR be required to register themselves at a special website created by the state governments.

Under stage 1 of GRAP, there are 24 measures, the majority of which are directives to states to strictly implement the different existing air pollution control measures. The Government of NCT of Delhi this month enacted a total ban on the manufacture, distribution, and use of all firecrackers, including green crackers, until January 1, 2023. Delhi also launched a month-long anti-dust campaign to ensure that construction sites adhere to pollution standards, for which 586 teams have been organised to carry it out.

GRAP is an action plan devised as an emergency measure for when the air quality in Delhi breaches a certain limit.  When the AQI falls into the ‘poor’ range (201 to 300), stage one of GRAP is triggered, stage two is implemented when the AQI reaches the ‘very poor’ category (301 to 400), while stage three and four are reserved for ‘severe’ (401 to 450), and ‘severe Plus’ category (above 450) respectively. First notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 2017, it was revised earlier this year with anticipatory measures being included.