As air pollution crossed the red zone that prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management to invoke the stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) from Friday, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi Friday announced staggered timings for government offices in the city in a bid to tackle traffic congestion and reduce pollution levels in the National Capital.
Under the new schedule, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) offices will operate from 8.30 am to 5 pm, Central Government offices from 9 am to 5.30 pm and Delhi Government offices from 10.00 am to 6.30 pm, Atishi said in a post on X.She said the move aims to ease vehicular traffic during peak hours. Revised office timings implemented as part of GRAP-III restrictions effective from Wednesday.
The air quality across several parts of Delhi remained in the “severe” category on Friday morning, with a thick layer of smog once again blanketing the National Capital Region, including Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram, which reduced visibility and disrupted both traffic and flight operations.
According to IQAir, a Swiss company, PM2.5 concentration is currently 95.4 times the World Health Organization (WHO) annual PM2.5 guideline value. This has put Delhi on the list of world’s most polluted city with AQI 817, followed by Pakistan’s Lahore with AQI 802 recorded at 12.30 am. IQAir, a Swiss company, ranks major cities based on Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) data.
While the AQI stood at an average 396 on Friday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). AQI has touched 420 as of 9 am in the morning, marking the third consecutive day of severe pollution. Of the 39 monitoring stations in Delhi, 21 registered severe AQI levels, with four classified as ‘severe plus’. The top five polluted areas in Delhi this morning are Jahangirpuri (with AQI 458), Bawana (455), Wazirpur (455), Rohini (452), and Punjabi Bagh (443), according to Central Pollution Control Board’s Sameer App.
However, the 24-hour overall air quality showed slight improvement compared to Thursday’s AQI of 432.Drone footage captured from areas like AIIMS and Akshardham Temple highlighted the extent of smog, making even prominent landmarks barely visible.
After a high level meeting with officials and all stakeholders, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced that an additional 106 cluster buses would ply in the city while metro trains would make 60 extra trips in view of GRAP-3 measures imposed due to worsening air quality. Emergency measures, such as artificial rain, will be considered if the air quality deteriorates further, the minister said, adding that he would Centre about it again. Private construction and demolition activities have been banned under GRAP III measures, he said.
Low visibility due to smog has affected flight and rail operations across India. Several IndiGo flights to and from Amritsar are affected. Many SpiceJet flights to and from Delhi and Darbanga are running late.
Various trains are running late by over two hours. More than 25 trains arriving at New Delhi railway station are also delayed. The Air Quality Warning System under the Ministry of Earth Sciences warned that with slow wind speeds, the meteorological conditions are likely to remain extremely unfavourable for effective dispersion of pollutants.
In a related development, Greenpeace India and Public Transport Forum on Friday wrote to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) requesting the introduction of a ‘Clean Air Concession’ on metro fares during severe air pollution days. In the letter, the organisations highlighted the need for an efficient and affordable transportation system that could bring down emission levels in the city. “This initiative could play a transformative role in making clean, efficient transit affordable, thus encouraging the citizen to shift to sustainable public transport,” the letter said.
The organisations proposed several recommendations, including reducing metro fares by 20-30 per cent on high-pollution days and encouraging people to use public transport instead of private vehicles.
