With the Capital’s air quality index (AQI) inching towards the “severe” level since the start of this week, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Friday invoked curbs under Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) in Delhi-NCR ahead of expected further deterioration due to firecracker bursting.
The commission has directed agencies across the NCR, including pollution control boards of NCR states and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), to ensure strict implementation of the restrictions. However, several individual monitoring stations have already crossed the threshold, as per CPCB data. Some stations are already in the 470s.
“Bringing in Grap Stage 3 early is the right call… but it also shows how quickly we slide into crisis every winter.
The CAQM said it took the decision to implement Stage 3 curbs after reviewing the pollution and forecasts provided by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.“ All actions as envisaged under Stage-3 of the extant Grap be implemented with immediate effect,” the commission said. To be sure, Stage 3 of Grap is usually enforced when the AQI crosses 401, when it is classified as “severe”. Of 58 operational air quality monitoring stations, 27 recorded “severe” AQI. Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst at think-tank Envirocatalysts, said that while he agrees with the decision— particularly with Diwali approaching—emergency measures alone would not address the Capital’s persistent pollution problem. Grap is an emergency brake; it can buy a few days, but it can’t fix a problem caused by year-round emissions from vehicles, industry, power plants, waste burning and crop residue,” he said.
Delhi’s AQI was 382 on Friday, in the “very poor” zone, according to the 24-hour average released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in its daily 4pm bulletin. It was only 18 points fewer than the threshold of “severe” AQI, and worse off than the AQI of 369 recorded the day before.
