As Air Pollution Makes A Comeback In Delhi, Delhiites Brace Yourself For An Emergency Plan

New Delhi: Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on October 15 at 4 PM, records Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi at 246 with particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and PM10 being the prominent pollutant. According to SAFAR’s (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research), Air Quality Index (AQI) on Tuesday will be 253 and after 3 days it will hit 276. As air pollution in Delhi makes a comeback and the national capital reels under poor levels of air quality, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has come up with an emergency action plan called Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) which will be implemented from October 15. Different measures have been chalked out which will be implemented as and when the air quality deteriorates in the city.

Also Read: Air Pollution: Farmers In Punjab, Haryana Defy Ban On Stubble Burning

Brace yourself for the emergency plan. Here is everything you need to know:

Measures Under ‘Poor’ AQI

Since, currently, AQI falls in the poor category, measures like ban on burning of garbage, mechanised sweeping of roads, pollution control measures at brick kilns and deployment of police at vulnerable points to ensure smooth movement of traffic are already in force in Delhi-NCR region. In line with it, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has asked the state run NBCC to hold all construction and demolition activities at Pragati Maidan. Also, Badarpur thermal plant has been ordered to shut down from today.

Also Read: Gurugram Students Develop An ‘Intelligent Traffic Light’ System To Reduce Air Pollution

Measures Under ‘Very Poor’ AQI

According to the experts, AQI is expected to reach ‘very poor’ (between 301-400) levels within a week. As soon as this happens, parking fee will be increased three to four folds, frequency of public transport which includes metro and buses will be increased and a full-stop will be put on the usage of diesel gensets.

Also Read: Air Pollution: Supreme Court Grants Four Weeks To Power Generating Units On Compliance With Emission Standards

Measures Under ‘Severe’ Levels Of AQI

The quality of air is considered severe when AQI falls between 401-500. Once AQI reaches that level, additional measure like frequent sprinkling of water, cleaning of roads, identifying road stretches with high dust generation will be executed.

Measures Under ‘Emergency’ Level Situation

Emergency level situation arises when AQI crosses the 500 mark which has happened in the past. If by any chance, the history repeats itself, as per GRAP, entry of trucks will be banned in the city (except essential commodities), a blanket ban will be put on construction activities and appointment of a task force to take additional decisions like shutting of schools, and other things will be implemented.

Also Read: Delhi Air Quality Detoriates; Why Are The Farmers In Punjab And Haryana Unable To Find Alternate to Stubble Burning?

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.