Women wear masks amid rising pollution in New Delhi. MR BHUI
Samad Hoque
New Delhi, November 2
With a thick layer of haze engulfing Delhi-NCR today and the air pollution level entering ‘severe’ category for the first time this season, the Centre implemented stage-III guidelines of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), banning all non-essential construction activities.
The decision was taken at a review meeting of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for developing strategies to counter pollution.
While scientists warned of a spike in pollution levels over the next two weeks owing to “highly unfavourable weather conditions”, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered the closure of all government and private primary schools in Delhi for next two days. Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 392 at 4 pm, which entered the “severe” zone (402 AQI) at 5 pm. According to the Central Pollution Control Board), several localities in Delhi breached the ‘severe’ category— Mundka (460), Bawana (452), Anand Vihar (450), Dwarka Sector 8 (445), Jahangirpuri (433), Narela (433), New Moti Bagh (423) and Wazirpur (435). The AQI of Greater Noida and Noida stood at 402 and 351, respectively. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.
A private source, AQICN, painted a more worrisome picture, showing the AQI in Anand Vihar at 999, Narela 699, Jahangirpuri 669, Mundka 675, Wazirpur 609, Okhla Phase 2 at 585, Bawana 574, Dwarka Sector 8 at 530, Rohini 526, Punjabi Bagh 462, Patparganj 412 and RK Puram 534.
The ban on construction activities bars those related to essential services, national security, healthcare, railways, metro, airports, bus terminals, highways, roads, flyovers, bridges, etc. Speaking at an event, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said, “On a day like this in Delhi, it brings back memories of growing up in Los Angeles where the air was the most polluted anywhere in America. We were warned by teachers ‘you cannot go outside to play’, just as my daughter was by her teacher today when I dropped her at school.”
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