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New Delhi: As cold waves ease across the national capital, a dense layer of toxic smog continues to blanket the city, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching hazardous levels. Visuals from the ITO area show the city engulfed in thick pollution. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the AQI in the area is at 402, categorised as ‘Severe’.
Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Friday declared stage-III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the entire National Capital Region as a preventive measure to avoid further deterioration. The restrictions, which include bans on the plying of BS-IV diesel and BS-III petrol vehicles, aim to curb rising pollution levels caused by calm winds and accumulation of pollutants.
“The forecasts for weather/meteorological conditions by IMD/IITM also indicate that due to slow wind speed, stable atmosphere, unfavourable weather parameters and meteorological conditions, and lack of dispersal of pollutants, Delhi’s average AQI is likely to breach the 400 mark and enter the severe category in the coming days,” stated CAQM. The average AQI at 4 pm on Friday was 354, up from 343 on Thursday. Measures under stages I and II of GRAP also remain in force.
Meanwhile, the cold wave that gripped the city for five days finally ended on Friday, but temperatures remained below normal. The minimum temperature settled at 4.3 degrees Celsius, three notches below the seasonal average, while Thursday recorded 2.9 degrees Celsius, the lowest for January in three years. The maximum temperature on Friday was 22.5 degrees Celsius, compared to 19.5 degrees on Thursday.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city experienced dense fog with minimum visibility at 150 metres at Palam at 7.30 am and at Safdarjung at 8 am. Flight operations at IGI Airport reported only minor delays. IMD forecasts maximum and minimum temperatures of 21-23 and 6-8 degrees Celsius on Saturday and has issued a yellow alert for dense fog in isolated areas.
CAQM has announced a nine-point action plan under stage-III of GRAP with immediate effect. It includes:
- Restrictions on construction and demolition activities
- Curbs on the plying of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel light motor vehicles (four-wheelers) in Delhi and the districts of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar, with exceptions for persons with disabilities
- Restrictions on Delhi-registered diesel-operated medium goods vehicles to BS-IV standards or below, except for those carrying essential commodities
- Prohibition on entry of BS-IV diesel-operated light commercial vehicles (goods carriers) registered outside Delhi
These measures aim to prevent further deterioration of air quality in the NCR amid ongoing adverse weather conditions.
