Hazy skies once again envelop Delhi and its surrounding areas. With pollution levels already expected to rise in the coming days, authorities have enforced restrictions as preventive measures. This includes the roll out of Graded Response Action Plan, or GRAP.
India’s Supreme Court already announced extensive regulations on the sale and usage of firecrackers in Delhi and nearby areas. It said vendors can only sell green crackers after due verification between October 18 and 19.
Each winter, New Delhi is blanketed in acrid smog, a toxic mix of crop-burning, factory emissions and choking traffic. Levels of PM2.5 -- cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream -- have surged to as much as 60 times the limit set by the World Health Organization.
Delhi Winter Action Plan
Delhi authorities imposed the Graded Response Action Plan, or GRAP, after the city’s Air Quality Index crossed the 200 mark on October 15. Under this, 86 mechanised sweepers, 300 water sprinklers and 362 anti-smog guns were deployed across Delhi. The streets are also being vacuum-swept regularly.
Delhi authorities are also considering artificial rain through cloud seeding to minimise rising air pollution levels. But this plan would only be put in motion if weather conditions are favourable ahead of Diwali.
Traffic violations related to PUC certificates, visible smoke and idling are being checked more actively in the national capital. Truck traffic not destined for Delhi may also be diverted around the city.
Delhi authorities have said there will be zero tolerance towards garbage and biomass burning as pollution levels go up. About 450 patrol teams have been deployed to operate round the clock to prevent this.
As winter chill in Delhi has begun to set in, the city is bracing for another seasonal surge in air pollution as the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Saturday stood at 199, just a few notches away from the 'poor' category.
While the city's low was 19.4 degrees Celsius, 1.6 notches below normal, the maximum temperature settled at 30.3 degrees Celsius, 3.9 notches below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). At 4 pm, Delhi's AQI was recorded in the "moderate" category at 199. An AQI between 201 to 300 falls under the "poor" category.
The national capital last recorded a "poor" AQI in June, according to the data. According to data from the Decision Support System (DSS), the transport sector remained the biggest contributor to Delhi's pollution, accounting for 17.9 per cent of the total emissions.
