Delhi AQI Crosses 400, GRAP Stage-4 Back In National Capital

Delhi's air quality has worsened to 'severe' with the AQI crossing 400, prompting Stage-4 of GRAP to be enforced.

After a brief respite, Delhi's air pollution is again choking the national capital.

Source : PTI

According to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), Delhi's AQI has further worsened and has slipped to the 'severe' category as it crossed the 400-mark on Monday night. The AQI of Delhi on Tuesday morning was 421, with several places in Delhi surpassing the 400-mark. The AQI values of some of the places in Delhi like Bawana, Jahangirpuri, Alipur, and Ashok Vihar were between 400 and 470.

While Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 469, the highest in the city for the day till now, Patparganj and ITO area recorded an AQI of 450 and 438 respectively. Major Dhyan Chand Stadium and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium recorded an AQI of 431 and 415 respectively.

In response to the falling air quality index in the Delhi-NCR, the sub-committee of CAQM enforced stage-4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect on Monday night. The data shows that the AQI of Delhi reported on the previous night was 399 at 9 PM and dipped to 400 by 10 PM.

In an emergency meeting held by the CAQM, it was stated that the sharp rise in Delhi’s AQI WAS caused by unfavourable meteorological conditions and stagnant wind patterns, the committee has decided to impose Stage- 4 measures across the NCR, as reported by The Business Standard.

There are several restrictions under Stage- 4 of GRAP. One of them is a complete ban on construction and demolition activities. The entry of trucks in Delhi is also prohibited. Physical classes in the capital region may be suspended for the students till classes 9 and 11, and can be shifted to hybrid mode. Work-from-home policy for 50 percent of the workforce and staggered timings for public offices can also be recommended.

The IMD has forecast a minimum temperature of 6 degrees Celsius and a maximum temperature of 23 degrees Celsius for Tuesday, with mainly clear sky. The maximum temperature recorded for the previous day at the Safdarjung weather station was 24 degrees Celsius, while the minimum was 5.9 degrees Celsius.