Delhi’s air quality has reached ‘hazardous’ levels, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to implement Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) restrictions, effective from eight am on Friday. Under the third stage of the GRAP, all inter-state buses from National Capital Region (NCR) states, except electric vehicles, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles and BS-VI (Bharat Stage Emission Standards six), diesel buses, will be prohibited from entering Delhi, alongside a stringent ban on construction and demolition activities, suspension of mining-related activities.
Chief Minister Atishi said that all primary schools in Delhi will shift to online classes. “Due to rising pollution levels, all primary schools in Delhi will be shifting to online classes, until further directions,” she tweeted.
There will also be restrictions on the plying of BS-lll petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles in Delhi and the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar. The National Capital’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has been categorised as ‘severe,’ with a reading of 428, the worst in the country for the past two days, The decision to invoke the third stage of GRAP was announced by Commission for Air Quality Management on Thursday, hours after Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai claimed that the stage III of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) would not be imposed yet as the situation is expected to improve from Friday.
As per its statement, CAQM Sub-Committee on GRAP imposes Stage-III of revised GRAP in the NCR, w.e.f. 8 am November, 15 (Friday). “In an effort to prevent further deterioration of thc air quality, the Sub Committee decided that ALL actions as envisaged under Stage III of the GRAP -’Severe’ Air Quality (DELHI AQI ranging between 401-4501 be implemented in right earnest by all the agencies concerned in the NCR, in addition to the Stage-I and II actions already in force, from 8 am of 15th November, 2024 in the National Capital Region (NCR),” the statement read.
The GRAP III restrictions also include road construction activities and major repairs; Transfer, loading / unloading of dust generating materials like cement, fly-ash, bricks, sand, murram, pebbles, crushed stone etc. anywhere within / outside the project sites; Movement of vehicles carrying construction materials on unpaved roads; Laying of sewer line, water line, drainage and electric cabling etc. by open trench system, brick / masonry works and painting, polishing and varnishing works.
The GRAP comprises specific measures to tackle deteriorating air quality in Delhi and NCR regions. GRAP is announced when the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaches ‘severe’ category, implementing various limitations on activities that contribute to pollution in addition to the restrictions implemented under GRAP I and II.
Earlier, Delhi woke up to dangerously high levels of toxic smog covering several cities surrounding the National Capital Region for the second consecutive day on Thursday, disrupting flight operations and train schedules. Adding to the alarm, Delhi airport saw significant disruptions on Thursday, with 151 incoming flights delayed and one cancelled, while 282 departures faced delays averaging 45 minutes, according to the flight tracker website.
The AQI in Delhi’s Anand Vihar was 466 (‘severe plus’), IGI Airport (T3) 435, and ITO 421 at 10am on Thursday. The city’s average AQI stood at 432. Ashok Vihar, Bawana, Dwarka, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Najafgarh, Lajpat Nagar, Patparganj, Punjabi Bagh, RK Puram, Rohini, Vivek Vihar, and Wazirpur are among several areas in Delhi where the average AQI was recorded in the ‘severe’ category, exceeding 450, at 6 am. The air quality crosses over 400, which falls under the severe category. As the national capital faces this ongoing crisis, residents are left wondering whether the government will enforce more stringent measures, including Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), to tackle the worsening air quality.
In many parts of Delhi, roads, bridges, buildings, offices, and flyovers, were hardly visible as they were covered by a thick layer of smog. There was an average 20 minutes delay in arrivals and a significant 54-minute average delay in departures at the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport issued an advisory on Thursday, informing passengers that “low visibility procedures” are being implemented due to the thick smog and rising air pollution in the city.
The airport clarified that all flight operations are “currently normal” but urged passengers to contact their respective airlines for “updated flight information.” The advisory said, “Low Visibility Procedures are in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations are presently normal. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information.”
Visibility at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) dropped to 400 metres down from 800 metres between 7 am to 9 am. Palam airport reported moderate fog with visibility of 300 metres from 07:00 am to 10 am. Airlines such as IndiGo have advised passengers of potential flight delays due to slower operations in the fog. Earlier in the morning, IndiGo urged passengers to keep a tab on their flight status as some flights might be delayed. “This morning, winter fog may impact flights to/from Amritsar, Varanasi & Delhi.
Do keep a tab on your flight status before heading to the airport. Also, please allow additional travel time as road traffic may move slower than usual due to low visibility. Thank you for your patience, and we wish you a smooth journey,” IndiGo posted on X.
