The Commission for Air Quality Management on Wednesday revoked Stage 4 restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan in Delhi and the National Capital Region after the air quality improved.
Stage 4 restrictions had came into force on December 13 after the air quality slipped into the “severe plus” category.
The commission said on Wednesday that the Air Quality Index in Delhi has shown significant improvement since Tuesday night due to high winds and favourable meteorological conditions.
It added that average AQI in the national capital stood at 271 on Wednesday, which is in the “poor category”.
However, the commission added that air quality forecasts provided by the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology suggest that in the coming days, the air quality index may increase because of slower winds.
Noting that restrictions Stage 4 restrictions under the GRAP has been revoked with immediate effect, the statement added that actions under Stage 1, 2 and 3 will continue to be implemented.
GRAP is a set of incremental anti-pollution measures that are triggered to prevent further worsening of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold in the Delhi-NCR region. The commission is a statutory body formed in 2020 to address pollution in the NCR and adjoining areas.
The air quality in the national capital had worsened to the “severe plus” category between December 13 and December 15, but had improved marginally to the “very poor” category till Monday.
However, the average AQI in Delhi worsened to 412 on Tuesday before improving on Wednesday.
What the GRAP measures entail
Stage 4 restrictions under GRAP include a ban on trucks entering the region and halting construction activities for public and private projects. All schools, except for classes 10 and 12, also shift to hybrid mode.
Stage 3 measures include a ban on non-essential construction work and the closure of stone crushers and mining activities, in addition to the measures already imposed under Stage 1 and Stage 2.
They also include the shifting of primary school up to Class 5 to hybrid mode. Parents and students have the option to choose between offline and online classes wherever available.
Additionally, the use of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars is restricted in Delhi and the NCR.
BS norms, or Bharat Stage Emission Standards, are regulations set by the Indian government to control air pollutants from motor vehicles. The higher the BS norm, the stricter the standard and the lower the permissible emissions.
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