In wake of the Delhi’s air quality slipping into the ‘severe’ category and the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoking Stage-III curbs under the Graded Action Response Plan (GRAP), Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Saturday called for effective implementation of anti-pollution measures to fight off the menace.

Addressing the media, Rai said that the air pollution control plan will chiefly impact the construction and demolition activities and will also have a bearing on the plying of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars. The Minister directed all the departments and the agencies concerned to activate their teams for strict implementation of anti-pollution measures under GRAP-III with immediate effect.

The Minister made it clear that works related to national security, railways, Metro Rail, airport, health Services, etc won’t come under the purview of GRAP-III restrictions in keeping with the CAQM order.

However, works related to boring, drilling, loading and unloading of construction materials, laying of sewer and electricity lines by open trench technique, tiling and flooring, grinding and waterproofing, stone crushing, polishing, varnishing and plying of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers will come under the purview of restrictions, Rai said.

He further said that in-house works related to plumbing, electricity, painting, polishing and decoration, besides those associated with national importance will continue unhindered.

Citing the forecast of the Indian Meteorological Department, the Minister said that the air quality might improve in the next two days, and, as such, further directions will be issued accordingly.

Rai said that although the average AQI in the city remained in the ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ category over the last few days, it plunged to the ‘severe’ category after the index value shot up to over 400 owing to a dip in temperature and decrease in the wind speed.

Anti-pollution measures are underway across the city as per the GRAP-I and II restrictions, he said and added that the Delhi government has deployed special teams under its winter action plan at all the 13 identified pollution hotspots in the city.

Delhi’s average AQI was on Saturday recorded at 450, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily bulletin on air quality.

“The air quality is likely to remain in the ‘severe’ category on 23.12.2023 and 24.12.2023. It is likely to improve its position to ‘very poor’ category on 25.12.2023 and remain in the same category on 26.12.2023,” the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology said.