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GRAP 4 curbs return in Delhi-NCR as pollution levels rise amid cold wave
The fourth stage restrictions have been invoked hours after the air quality panel imposed GRAP III curbs in the national capital.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Monday reimposed GRAP 4 restrictions in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) due to rising air pollution levels.
The fourth stage restrictions have been invoked hours after the air quality panel imposed GRAP III curbs in the national capital.
The curbs under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for winters include a ban on all construction and demolition activities, including public projects such as highways and flyovers, and on the entry of trucks carrying non-essential goods into Delhi.
The national capital's 24-hour average air quality index, which stood at 379 at 4 pm, breached the 400 mark around 10 pm amid extremely calm winds and "buildup of an inversion layer adversely affecting the vertical mixing height".
On December 5, the Supreme Court allowed the CAQM to relax the stringent GRAP-4 (Graded Response Action Plan) curbs to stage 2 to deal with air pollution in the national capital region in view of improvement in the AQI levels.
GRAP 4 SOPs for schools in Delhi-NCR
According to the CAQM norms, the governments in Delhi and NCR states have been asked to compulsorily conduct classes in schools for children even for higher classes i.e. from class VI to IX and XI in a “Hybrid” mode i.e., both in physical and online mode (wherever online mode is feasible).
The NCR State Governments may also consider conducting classes for students as above in a “Hybrid” mode in other areas in NCR.
The capital on Monday recorded a minimum temperature of 4.5 degrees Celsius, 4.1 degrees below normal, according to the weather department.
This is the fourth time in December when the minimum temperature dropped below 5 degrees Celsius, with cold wave conditions observed in Pusa, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The weather department has forecast cold wave conditions on Tuesday with the maximum and minimum temperatures on Tuesday expected to hover around 24 degrees Celsius and 5 degrees Celsius, respectively.
