Ggm AQI improves for the second consecutive day

Gurugram: With the air quality improving in Delhi-NCR and AQI moving from ‘severe’ to ‘very poor’ category, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday withdrew graded response action plan (Grap) stage 4

Gurugram: With the air quality improving in Delhi-NCR and AQI moving from ‘severe’ to ‘very poor’ category, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday withdrew graded response action plan (Grap) stage 4.

Gurugram, India - November 06: A pedestrian walks on a foot over bridge at Sector-29 near Signature Tower Chowk amid smoggy weather conditions, in Gurugram, India, on Sunday, November 6, 2022. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

At a meeting held on Sunday, CAQM officials observed that as the air quality index (AQI) of Delhi is around 339, which is about 111 AQI points below the threshold of invoking the Grap stage 4, they are lifting restrictions.

Following the directions from the CAQM regarding withdrawal of the Grap stage four, the Gurugram district administration said that it has revoked the order with immediate effect. The district administration on Sunday had invoked Section 144 to ensure the diversion of trucks carrying non-essential items to Delhi. It had also imposed restrictions on entry of BS-IV and BS-V vehicles and had issued directions to prevent their entry into Delhi.

Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said, “We have revoked the order for actions under grap stage 4 with immediate effect. Actions under stage 1 to 3 will remain”.

Yadav said that action under stage 1 to stage 3 that includes ban on construction and use of only clean fuel in industries was being implemented strictly across the district. “All the agencies have been asked to ensure that steps are taken to curb dust pollution and prevent violations”, he said.

The Gurugram traffic police, meanwhile, said that their teams have been deployed for checking vehicular pollution and vehicles emanating pollutants will be penalised.

Virender Singh Sangwan, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), said that traffic regulation teams have been deployed at borders and on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway and National Highway (NH-48) to penalise people driving polluting vehicles and to keep a check on petrol vehicles older than 15 years and diesel vehicles older than 10 years.

Meanwhile, the air quality in Gurugram city improved marginally but remained in the ‘very poor’ category due to an increase in wind speed and also changes in wind direction.

The 24-hour average AQI in Gurugram was recorded at 312 with three out of the four monitoring stations recording ‘very poor’ category air. The highest AQI in the city was recorded at Gwal Pahari at 325.

On Saturday, the AQI in the city was recorded at 357 and on Friday it was 412.

The Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in its forecast on Sunday said that air quality is likely to improve owing to strong easterly winds and it would be in the lower end of the ‘very poor’ category on Monday. The air quality is likely to dip on Tuesday but will remain largely in the ‘very poor’ category on Tuesday and also for the next six days.