New Delhi: Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) is improving graduallly. In view of remarkable improvement in the overall AQI of the national capital since invocation of Stage-III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) and also considering the meteorological/ weather forecasts, Stage III of GRAP has been revoked with immediate effect in entire NCR (national capital region).
The Sub-Committee for invoking actions under GRAP of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas (CAQM) met last evening to review the current air quality scenario.
While reviewing the overall air quality parameters of Delhi-NCR and other aspects, the Sub-Committee noted that forecasts by IMD/ IITM do not indicate the overall AQI of Delhi to slip into ‘Severe’ category in the coming days and is likely to fluctuate between ‘Poor’and‘Very Poor’categories.
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“Therefore, it is felt advisable to relax the stringent restrictions and roll back Stage-III of GRAP with immediate effect in the entire NCR,” says the AQI Bulletin provided by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The overall AQI of Delhi has remarkably improved from the level of 434 (‘Severe’ category) observed on 9 January to 213 (‘Poor’ category) recorded on 15 January (till 5 PM). The preventive/restrictive measures under Stage-III of GRAP invoked on 6 January (when Delhi’s overall AQI reached 400) might have also helped stabilizing the AQI levels thus improving the overall air quality of Delhi-NCR. Forecast by meterological department also does not predict the AQI levels reaching the ‘Severe’ category in the coming days.
Based on earlier decisions of the Sub-Committee for invoking actions under GRAP, preventive/ restrictive actions up to Stage-III of GRAP are already in force vide order dated October 5, 2022 for Stage-I; order dated October 19, 2022 for Stage-II; and order dated January 6, 2023 for Stage-III respectively. Stage III & Stage IV of GRAP have been imposed and thereafter revoked from time to time by the GRAP Sub-Committee based on the prevalent air quality scenario in Delhi.
