Despite GRAP IV curbs, Capital struggles to breathe

Delhi woke up to another smog-laden morning on Sunday, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) hitting 430 at 7 am, slipping deep into the ‘severe’ category despite ongoing curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage IV. Though the average AQI on Sunday stood at 391, keeping it in the ‘very poor’ category, several pollution hotspots, including Mundka, Anand Vihar, Jahangirpuri, and Wazirpur, continued to report dangerously high readings, offering little relief to residents who have endured toxic air for weeks.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), over a dozen stations recorded AQI above 400, while many others hovered in the ‘very poor’ range. A layer of haze stayed trapped over the city due to low wind speed and winter inversion, worsening visibility and respiratory discomfort.

Even as pollution levels surged, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa insisted that the government had been taking “strong and continuous” action to enforce anti-pollution measures. On Sunday, Sirsa said construction activities across Delhi were being “strictly monitored” and that violations would face zero tolerance.

“We have inspected over 1,200 construction sites so far. More than 200 notices have been issued, and 50 sites have been shut for flouting dust-control norms,” he said. Mechanical road sweeping machines, he added, were being deployed at night to curb dust from roads and open areas.

The minister reiterated that GRAP Stage IV measures, already in force, were being implemented rigorously. These included a ban on non-essential construction, restrictions on diesel vehicles, stoppage of stone crushing activities and intensified public transport operations.

However, air quality interventions are struggling to counter the combined impact of local emissions, stagnant winds and the influx of smoke from farm fires in neighbouring states.

The Delhi Government on Saturday also rolled out a CSR-funded initiative to distribute 10,000 electric heaters to Resident Welfare Associations to reduce winter burning of wood and coal for warmth, a major source of nighttime pollution spikes. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who attended the launch, urged citizens to report any instance of open burning.

Sirsa said the government was employing drones, ground patrols and real-time AQI monitoring to track violations. “Our teams are on the ground 24/7. No leniency for violators,” he said.