Delhi NCR Wakes Up To Dense Fog And Severe Air Quality As GRAP-4 Restrictions Kick In

India Today

This report highlights the deteriorating weather conditions in the National Capital Region as dense fog and toxic smog engulf Delhi. The speaker notes that visibility at the Akshardham stretch has dropped to less than 100 meters, rendering vehicles and the temple itself nearly invisible. The broadcast confirms that the Air Quality Index (AQI) has slipped into the 'severe' category, prompting authorities to invoke Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-4). Key measures include a complete ban on all construction and demolition activities, a shift to hybrid mode for schools, and stricter transport restrictions across the region. The report also mentions that the AQI dipped to 441 on Saturday, with experts warning of worsening conditions as winter peaks in December and January. The speaker emphasizes that unless wind speed picks up, the hazardous smog layer is unlikely to clear soon.

Transcript

00:00Breaking news coming in from the National Capital Region.

00:02It's the season again when dense fog engulfs Delhi NCR.

00:07Air quality plummets to seasons low.

00:10Delhi's AQI enters the severe category.

00:12Gravco has been invoked in Delhi NCR.

00:15And a thick layer of smog could be seen shrouding the National Capital Region,

00:21making visibility extremely low.

00:23To bring you a clearer picture of what exactly has been seen,

00:28and seen this morning itself, we have Ashutosh Mishra bringing us a ground report.

00:32Let's quickly take a look at that first.

00:36So Delhi is waking up this morning with a dense fog all around.

00:39I'm here at Akshar Dham Temple.

00:41The road right behind me heading to the National Capital.

00:44And there you see all the cars, all the vehicles that are moving on the National Highway

00:47is literally going invisible right after 100 meters.

00:51Visibility here at Akshar Dham stretch is less than 100 meters.

00:54And in fact, just across the lane, across the driving lane, there's Akshar Dham Temple,

01:00which is literally disappeared, has gone invisible.

01:02And the fog is literally falling like a raindrop.

01:05And that's the prediction was by the MED department,

01:08that another three to four days, it will be the Gangetic Plain.

01:11And across northern plains will witness a dense fog.

01:14In fact, the road that I traveled through from Ghaziabad to Noidaabad,

01:17the visibility is slightly better.

01:19But as you see on the rest parts, the highway patrolling vehicles are also being alerted

01:24because of the fog situation.

01:25All the vehicles are moving with the fog lamps on.

01:28And that explains why it is so furious.

01:30In fact, the GRAPH 4 provisions have been invoked by the Commission for Equality Management

01:35in the National Capital and NCR region because of looking at the extreme e-pollution

01:39because the fog-like situation and the low surface wind speed will add further to the

01:44detonating air quality.

01:46And unless and until the wind speed picks up, this will not be clear.

01:49Look at this.

01:50The distance between camera and me is hardly a couple of feet.

01:54And the fog is so dense that even literally a hazy images that will appear on your screen.

02:02This is 7.30 a.m.

02:04I'm at Akshar Dham Temple.

02:05And look at the fog-like condition.

02:07This is not even the month of January when we witness this extreme fog, dense fog situation.

02:12At Akshar Dham Temple in National Capital, this is Ashutosh Mishra for India Today.

02:17So viewers, well, this is the situation currently in the National Capital.

02:21Let's take you through some more developments that we are in fact understanding.

02:26As air quality levels in the capital have slipped into the severe category once again,

02:30its stricter anti-pollution curbs have been imposed across Delhi NCR that we are now seeing.

02:36Authorities have invoked Stage 4 of the Graded Action Response Plan.

02:39One of the most significant steps under the GRAPH 4 is a complete ban on all construction and demolition

02:45activities across Delhi.

02:47Schools in the capital shall now also be operating in hybrid mode.

02:50The measures also include the closure of stone crushers, mining operations and associated

02:54activities across the NCR.

02:57And as these are considered to be major contributors to the dust and particulate pollution that

03:03the NCR is grappling with.

03:05Further, transport restrictions have also been tightened.

03:08The decision was taken by the Commission for Air Quality Management after Delhi's Air Quality

03:12Index showed a sharp worsening trend.

03:14The AQI dipped to 4.41 on Saturday, prompting concerns that pollution levels could soon breach

03:20the severe plus threshold as well.

03:23So, this is currently the situation that we see.

03:26There seems to be no end to the apocalypse that we are witnessing in the National Capital

03:32region.

03:32And let us tell you, as the temperatures will only go lower from henceforth, given that

03:37the winter has set in and it will be approaching peak season at the later days of December and

03:44the early days of January, this situation might even get worse.

03:48And that is what experts are looking at in terms of the air pollution mess, the crisis that

03:54Delhi has been grappling with over years now.

03:57And with the Grab Corps having been imposed, yes, there are measures in place that have

04:02in fact restricted certain activities that contribute to the pollution levels in the national capital.

04:08But the question still remains, why is there no permanent solution to this very problem which

04:15we see year after year, in fact, shrouding the capital city of the country?

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended