Delhi Chokes As ‘Severe’ Air Quality Persists, Truck Entry Restricted

New Delhi: Thick clouds of smog shrouded parts of the national capital as the air quality across the metropolitan city continued to remain in ‘severe’ category on Tuesday (November 7), according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). According to the data shared by the CPCB, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Anand Vihar was recorded at 440, 388 at Narela, 434 at Punjabi Bagh, 431 at RK Puram, and 408 at Shadipur, all in the ‘severe category zone’.

Likewise, the AQI at Jahangirpuri was recorded at 416, 404 at IGI Airport, 337 at Pusa Road, and 407 at Sonia Vihar.

On Monday, Gurgaon Police restricted the entry of trucks into Delhi-NCR due to poor air quality. The restrictions apply to heavy vehicles, commercial vehicles with BS 3 petrol engines, BS 4 diesel vehicles, LMVs (four-wheelers), and trucks carrying non-essential goods. It also applies to diesel-run medium goods vehicles (MGVs) and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

Gurgaon Police in an advisory said, “The general public is hereby informed that due to poor air quality in Delhi-NCR, as per the rules of GRAP, heavy vehicles, commercial vehicles with BS 3 petrol engines, BS 4 diesel vehicles, LMV (four-wheelers), are restricted from entering the Delhi-NCR area

Meanwhile, the Gurugram-Mahipalpur area also remained enveloped in the haze of smoke and fog early this morning.

Also Read: “Stop Stubble Burning,” Directs Supreme Court To Several States As The Air Quality Becomes Poisonous

The city’s Air Quality Index has remained hazardous for the sixth consecutive day this week.”

Speaking on the issue of Delhi pollution, a morning walker said,

Everyone is facing problems because of smog. It is harmful to our health. The government should pay attention to controlling this.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai called a meeting of all concerned departments on Monday in view of the increasing pollution. The meeting also conducted discussions on the strict implementation of GRAP-4.

This came after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday decided to invoke Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the entire National Capital Region (NCR) with immediate effect to prevent further deterioration of air quality.

The Air Quality Commission said that Stage IV will be implemented in addition to the restrictions placed under Stage I to III.

Also Read: Exposure To Air Pollution Can Increase Blood Sugar Levels, Risks Of Type 2 Diabetes: Study

The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a set of guidelines and measures implemented to combat air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India, which includes Delhi and its surrounding areas.

Air pollution levels can be high during the winter months for a number of reasons, including dust and vehicular pollution, dry-cold weather, stubble burning, burning crop residues after the harvest season, and commuting.

Cold air is denser and moves slower than warm air, so it traps pollution and doesn’t whisk it away. This means that air pollution in winter remains in place for much longer than during the summer.

According to doctors, for any healthy person, a recommended AQI should be less than 50, but these days the AQI has spiked beyond 400, which could prove fatal for those suffering from lung-related diseases and even poses a risk of lung cancer.

Also Read: Indian Farmers Carry On Burning Stubble Despite Cost To Health

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NDTV – Dettol have been working towards a clean and healthy India since 2014 via the Banega Swachh India initiative, which in its Season 10 is helmed by Campaign Ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana. The campaign aims to highlight the inter-dependency of humans and the environment, and of humans on one another with the focus on One Health, One Planet, One Future – Leaving No One Behind. It stresses on the need to take care of, and consider, everyone’s health in India – especially vulnerable communities – the LGBTQ population, indigenous people, India’s different tribes, ethnic and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants, geographically remote populations, gender and sexual minorities. In a world post COVID-19 pandemic, the need for WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) is reaffirmed as handwashing is one of the ways to prevent Coronavirus infection and other diseases. The campaign will continue to raise awareness on the same along with focussing on the importance of nutrition and healthcare for women and children, fight malnutrition, mental well-being, self-care, science and health, adolescent health & gender awareness. Along with the health of people, the campaign has realised the need to also take care of the health of the eco-system. Our environment is fragile due to human activity, which is not only over-exploiting available resources, but also generating immense pollution as a result of using and extracting those resources. The imbalance has also led to immense biodiversity loss that has caused one of the biggest threats to human survival – climate change. It has now been described as a “code red for humanity.” The campaign will continue to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and sanitation workers and menstrual hygiene. Banega Swasth India will also be taking forward the dream of Swasth Bharat, the campaign feels that only a Swachh or clean India where toilets are used and open defecation free (ODF) status achieved as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014, can eradicate diseases like diahorrea and the country can become a Swasth or healthy India.