Delhi NCR Pollution: GRAP-4 Invoked as Air Quality Index Spikes to Severe Levels

India Today

A special report from the National Capital Region details the invocation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Phase 4 following a significant spike in pollution levels. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 441, prompting authorities to enforce a complete ban on construction activities to curb dust emissions. Schools for children up to class 5 are set to operate in hybrid mode to mitigate health risks associated with the severe air quality. The report highlights that the high concentration of PM 2.5 particulate matter necessitates strict measures across Delhi and neighboring cities like Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, and Gurgaon. Additionally, the government may consider implementing the odd-even vehicle scheme and allowing 50 per cent work-from-home for offices to reduce vehicular emissions and decongest pollution hotspots.

Transcript

00:00Breaking news coming in from National Capital Region as pollution levels spike.

00:06It seems GRAP 4, the graded response action plan,

00:10its fourth phase has been invoked in the NCR region for the first time in this pollution season.

00:17Now, this is after the AQI was recorded at 441 today.

00:22Under GRAP 4, there will be a complete ban on construction activities

00:26and schools could operate in hybrid mode.

00:30Joining us now is India Today's Milan Sharma.

00:34Milan, what is the situation of pollution in Delhi?

00:38And also, what should people plan for keeping GRAP 4 in mind?

00:45Well, Anjali, it's a very serious position at the moment

00:48because since morning we've been reporting on how the air quality in the National Capital

00:53has been sliding to the severe category and now it's reached severe plus.

00:58In the morning itself, there were more than 10 monitoring stations that had breached the 400 mark.

01:03And remember that after 400, any air you breathe, whether it's 300 or 400, is as it is poisonous.

01:10Now, the problem is that PM 2.5 particulate matter is showing a very high degree of concentration in the pollution

01:20and that's why GRAP 4 has been imposed by the CAQM.

01:24Obviously, that demands one of the most primary things is that ban on construction activities

01:30because dust is seen as one of the prime reasons for the increase in pollution.

01:34Of course, classes for children till class 5 will go into hybrid mode necessarily.

01:40This would impact a lot of the schools and not just in Delhi, mind you.

01:44So, this has to be done by the governments across NCR.

01:47So, that includes cities of Noida in Uttar Pradesh, Ghaziabad, Faridabad as well as Gurgaon in Haryana.

01:56And plus, another very big measure that comes under GRAP 4 is also whether offices should start allowing people

02:03to work from home on a 50% capacity.

02:06That is another measure that is mentioned in the GRAP and erstwhile it used to happen when a GRAP 4 was activated,

02:13governments were allowed to make vehicular emissions less by imposing measures like odd-even.

02:20Will the Delhi government impose an odd-even this time around?

02:24That is a question that will need to be answered by the Delhi government.

02:27It's one of the measures that was taken a lot last time.

02:30But this is very important because decongestion of hotspots of pollution and certainly with the falling temperatures,

02:39rise in smog, it's only going to get worse from here on in the coming days.

02:45And certainly these measures need to be implemented on a crackdown basis as far as CAQM is concerned.

02:51Right, absolutely. Thank you, Milen.

02:52So, clearly, GRAP 4 not only impacts the pollution levels but also impacts lives of people

02:57because a lot of things change so we'll be keeping an eye on it and bringing you all the information

03:02as to whether there are any changes made by the governments or not.

03:06Thank you, Milen.

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