New Delhi: Not just Delhi, but Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, and other cities have also been breathing polluted air for the past consecutive days.
New Delhi continued to top the list with an air quality index (AQI) of 437 at 4 pm on Thursday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. In neighbouring Ghaziabad, the air quality index ( AQI) was at 391, Gurugram at 404, Noida at 394, Greater Noida at 439, and Faridabad 410.
Meanwhile, the air quality in Kolkata and Mumbai also continued to remain unhealthy with many areas reporting an air quality index (AQI) above 200.
As of 4 pm, the air quality index (AQI) in Kolkata stood at a 'poor' level of 261, Mumbai recorded an AQI of 111 and Luncknow's AQI stood at 265, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
On Sunday, after the city's air quality plummeted to the 'Severe Plus' category, Stage IV of the Centre's pollution control plan -- Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) -- came into effect in Delhi. Under GRAP Stage IV, all kinds of construction work and the entry of polluting trucks into the city are banned.
GRAP -- a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the Delhi-NCR region in the winter season -- classifies actions under four different categories – Stage I – 'Poor' (AQI 201-300), Stage II – 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400), Stage III – 'Severe' (AQI 401-450), and Stage IV – 'Severe Plus' (AQI > 450).
Speaking on air pollution, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said that he held a meeting today to discuss measured on how to make Maharashtra pollution-free.
"An important meeting was held today to discuss how to make Mumbai, Pune, and the whole of Maharashtra pollution-free... Directions were given that dust and debris should be taken in covered trucks... To make roads dust-free, more manpower will be outsourced... Directions were given to make urban forests and oxygen parks to maintain the balance of the environment... The Environment department, too, has been told to do day-to-day monitoring... Effective implementation should be there... People's participation is also important," he said.