The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) sub-committee on Saturday decided to revoke the restrictions prescribed under Stage-IV of the Centre's Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR due to an improvement in air quality. The order, issued on November 5, 2023, implemented actions under Stage IV of the GRAP. However, the CAQM sub-committee emphasised that actions under Stages-I to Stage-III of the GRAP would remain in effect to prevent a slip in Air Quality Index (AQI) levels to the 'Severe' or 'Severe +' category.
The CAQM sub-committee stated, "The GRAP is an emergency response action plan invoked with a view to arrest further deterioration of the adverse air quality scenario in NCR. Restrictions under GRAP Stage-IV are disruptive and impact a large number of stakeholders and the public at large."
After the order, the Delhi Government’s Transport Department ordered that the restriction imposed on truck traffic and plying of Delhi registered Diesel operated MGVS (Medium Goods Vehicles) and HGVS (Heavy Goods Vehicles) be relaxed while actions under Stage I, II, and III of the GRAP shall remain invoked. The restrictions on plying of BSIII and below petrol LMV and BSIV and below diesel LMV will remain in force.
The decision to revoke Stage-IV actions comes as Delhi's AQI level stood at around 322 (Very Poor) at 2:00 PM, a considerable improvement from the 'Severe +' category (AQI > 450) that triggered the Stage-IV actions, news agency PTI reported.
The committee expressed optimism about sustaining the improvement in AQI, and forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) do not indicate a steep degradation in air quality.
Delhi's air quality witnessed an overnight improvement attributed to increased wind speed and a change in wind direction. However, it still remains in the 'Very Poor' category. The 24-hour average AQI recorded at 4 pm improved to 339 from 419 on Thursday, PTI reported. The previous weekend saw relatively better air quality due to rain, but subsequent days experienced a surge in pollution due to Diwali fireworks and stubble burning.
A joint project by the Delhi government and IIT Kanpur found that vehicular emissions contributed about 45% to the capital's air pollution, according to PTI.
Stringent measures, including a ban on construction work and the entry of diesel trucks, have been implemented, and a special task force has been set up to ensure strict adherence to the GRAP in Delhi. Despite these efforts, Delhi was ranked as the second-most polluted city globally on Saturday, according to IQAir, a Swiss air-quality monitoring company.
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