Three days ahead of the AQI reaching the ‘severe’ category, a ban on construction and demolition activities will kick in, except for hospitals, water supply projects and projects connected with airports and railway services. (File)The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for air pollution in Delhi will kick in on Saturday. This means that from now onwards restrictions can be imposed if forecasts indicate that the air quality index (AQI) is likely to deteriorate.
Measures under GRAP are recommended ahead of the AQI reaching ‘poor’ or worse. On Friday, the AQI in Delhi was 173, in the ‘moderate’ category. The Air Quality Early Warning System forecast issued on Friday indicated that the AQI is likely to remain in the ‘moderate’ category till October 3, and in the ‘moderate’ to ‘satisfactory’ category on October 4 and 5. Light rainfall is also expected from October 4 to 7.
This year, measures under GRAP will be imposed three days ahead of the AQI reaching a particular level. Measures that are to be taken when the AQI is projected to be ‘poor’ (from 201 to 300) include stopping construction activities on more than 500 sq m plots where the site has not been registered on the web portal for monitoring of dust mitigation measures, enforcing guidelines on anti-smog guns and water sprinkling on roads, and ensuring that diesel generator sets “are not used as a regular source of power supply”.
More restrictions will kick in when the AQI is forecast to be ‘very poor’ (301 to 400). These include stopping the use of diesel generator sets except for emergency services, not allowing coal or firewood in tandoors at restaurants and enhancing parking fees to discourage private transport.
Three days ahead of the AQI reaching the ‘severe’ category, a ban on construction and demolition activities will kick in, except for hospitals, water supply projects and projects connected with airports and railway services. Restrictions on industries that are not running on PNG will also be imposed when the AQI is likely to turn ‘severe’. State governments may also impose restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers.
The highest level of restrictions under the plan is when the AQI is in the ‘severe +’ category. Entry of truck traffic, except for essentials, will be halted and Delhi-registered diesel-operated medium and heavy goods vehicles will not be allowed to ply, except for essential activities. State governments may also then consider measures like closure of schools.