By Shubhangi Chauhan
GRAP 4 restrictions imposed as pollution badness increases heads of affected institutions ordered to reinstate strict measures to curb a severe air quality crisis in the region.
The air quality of Delhi-NCR worsened and the Centre has gone back to implementing the most stringent measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) that was implemented at Stage 4. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has approved all measures under Stage Ill encompassing ‘Severe Air Quality’ and Stage IV ‘Severe+’ Air Quality, in addition to the previous stages I and II.
According to CAQM-“Every single movement of the GRAP schedule will be enforced, observed and reflected on collectively by all agencies involved across the entire NCR to prevent further deterioration of AQI,” stated to Times of India.
High Air Quality Index (AQI) forces schools to hold hybrid lectures and halt construction works. Stage four restrictions have construction activities prohibited throughout except for crisis projects only.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) forecast, the AQI in Delhi could touch the 400 mark
soon.
What Caused Delhi’s Air Pollution to Increase?
It is evident that pollutants in the air reduce as a result of bad weather in Delhi such as; dense fog, calm winds & low temperatures which have a tendency of holding pollutants. This makes it the worst index so far with AQI scoring 396, from the category labeled as ‘Very Poor’ on Wednesday evening.
Other sources are; automobile emission Explicit farmers burning crop residues and firecrackers during the winter season.
The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) framework categorizes air quality into four stages:
Stage I (AQI 201-300): Poor
Stage II (AQI 301-400): Very Poor
Stage III (AQI 401-450): Severe
Stage IV (AQ| 450+): Severe Plus
Measures and Restrictions taken under GRAP Stage 4
- Construction Ban: No construction and demolition is allowed except in essential public utility like highway and railway constructions.
- Vehicle Restrictions: Diesel trucks which are non-essential and BS-IV heavy vehicles have been prohibited from travelling on Delhi roads.Only emergency vehicles and cars running on CNG/BS-VI standards are permitted entry into the zone.
- School Shift: Classes from 1 to 9 and 11 have their learning systems move online or have hybrid system. But, for continuity of Classes 10 and 12, students and teachers can meet in person.
- Work-from-Home: Some governments have called for 50 percent of state employees to work from home. They could adopt the odd-even rule on vehicles to further cut on emission.
Earlier today January 12 the restrictions under the GRAP Stage Ill ordinance were lifted as rains brought about by previous storms cleaned the air.
But, again it has deteriorated due to adverse weather and pollution sources.
With levels of pollution increasing further the authorities have appealed to the public to adhere to the Citizen Charter under GRAP and avoid going out of homes.
The reliving of the GRAP Stage 4 emphasizing the imperative of the fight against pollution in Delhi-NCR is an every man for himself scenario. As measures have been tightened, authorities seek to avoid escalation of AQI more and protect the population’s health.