Delhi's air pollution is "severe," visibility is poor in the NCR, and primary schools are switching to online learning due to GRAP-3 | 10 updates

Today's Delhi AQI: GRAP stage 3 will take effect on Friday at 8 a.m. The Delhi government declared that primary school instruction would now take place online.

On Friday morning, November 15, the National Capital Region, including Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram, was once again covered in a thick layer of pollution, and the air quality in a number of Delhi neighborhoods remained in the "severe" category.

The central pollution watchdog, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), invoked restrictions under the third stage of the graded response action plan (GRAP) in response to the declining air quality index, or AQI. These restrictions included a prohibition on construction activities and the use of BS-III gasoline and BS-IV diesel vehicles in the city and NCR.

The limitations will take effect on Friday at 8 a.m. The Delhi government has declared that although online classes will continue, in-person elementary school sessions will not be held till further notice due to the dangerously high levels of pollution.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) indicates that around 6 a.m. on Thursday, the AQI in Anand Vihar, Delhi, was 441.

The regions in Delhi with the lowest air quality were Bawana (455), Dwarka Sector 8 (444), and Jahangiruri (458). When the air quality exceeds 400, it is classified as severe.

Delhi's top ten air pollution developments
What is prohibited? The Delhi government and the NCR states will strictly ban BS-III gasoline and BS-IV diesel (four-wheelers) in the capital city and its surrounding areas, including Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar, according to an order issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management. Any infraction will result in a ₹20,000 fine.

In addition to a strict prohibition on construction and demolition activities, the third stage of the GRAP will also ban all interstate buses from NCR states from entering Delhi, suspend mining-related activities, sprinkle water on major roads every day, and allow students up to class 5 to take classes online.

What is permitted? The NCR will permit the use of BS-VI diesel buses, CNG vehicles, and electric vehicles. Construction-related activities, which produce less dust and are generally less polluting, will be allowed in the NCR, according to the CAQM, provided that the C&D Waste Management Rules are strictly followed.

 
DMRC's statement: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced that 20 additional trips—in addition to the 40 that have been in place since GRAP-II was implemented—will be added to the schedule of weekday service beginning on Friday in anticipation of the introduction of GRAP-III.

The 24-hour AQI for Delhi: The city's AQI, which is measured at 4 p.m. every day, was 424, up from 418 the day before. Twenty-seven of Delhi's 39 monitoring sites recorded "severe" air quality. Aya Nagar, Bawana, Dwarka Sector 8, IGI Airport, ITO, Jahangirpuri, Mandir Marg, Mundka, Najafgarh, Narela, Nehru Nagar, North Campus, Patparganj, and Punjabi Bagh are some of these stations.

 
The blame game The declining pollution readings sparked a political blame game on Thursday. The Bharatiya Janata Party attacked Gopal Rai, the environment minister for Delhi, and called for his resignation, claiming that the city's air quality was approaching dangerous levels.

 
In response, Gopal Rai charged that the BJP-led administrations in the nearby states were failing to take any action to stop

GRAP: What is it? Delhi-NCR's GRAP is separated into four phases based on air quality: Stage 1 is "poor" (AQI 201-300), Stage 2 is "very poor" (AQI 301-400), Stage 3 is "severe" (AQI 401-450), and Stage 4 is "severe plus" (AQI > 450).

Since October 30, Delhi's air quality has been classified as "very poor." On Wednesday, the capital had its first severe air quality of the season.

Leading causes of pollution in Delhi: Vehicle emissions, which made up around 12.2% of the total, were the leading cause of pollution in Delhi, according to the Center's Decision Support System for Air Quality Management. In addition to automobile emissions, stubble burning is a significant contributor to air pollution in Delhi. According to satellite data released by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), there were five farm fires reported in Punjab on Thursday, eleven in Haryana, and the greatest number, 202, in Uttar Pradesh.