The Centre’s pollution watchdog Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Saturday imposed GRAP Stage IV restrictions in Delhi-NCR as the capital’s air quality deteriorated to touch the ‘severe’ category.
Delhi’s AQI on Saturday was at 400, just one mark short of ‘severe’ category. The neighbouring Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram also witnessed AQI in the ‘very poor’ category.
“The AQI of Delhi, which was recorded as 400 on Saturday at 4 PM, exhibited a sharp increasing trend and has been recorded at 428 at 8 PM owing to a western disturbance, highly unfavourable weather and meteorological conditions, and lack of dispersal of pollutants,” a senior official of the CAQM said.
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“In an effort to prevent further deterioration of the air quality, the Sub Committee on GRAP hereby decide to proactively invoke all actions under Stage-IV (‘Severe+’ AQI of Delhi >450) of extant schedule of GRAP (read with paras 6, 7 & 8 below), with immediate effect in right earnest by all the agencies concerned in Delhi-NCR, in addition to the Stage-I, II and III actions already in force,” a statement of the CAQM said.
The central agency said that measures under GRAP-3 were already in place in the capital
Are schools closed in Delhi on Monday?
The schools in Delhi and NCR were already closed in Delhi-NCR amid severe cold wave and dense fog earlier this week. The schools were supposed to reopen on January 16, Friday.
However, with GRAP-4 in place, the authorities in Delhi and NCR may take a decision on discontinuing physical classes even for higher standards and conduct lessons in an online mode.
The classes for school students, except for those in Grade 10 and 12, is likely to be shifted to ‘hybrid mode’ in Delhi and neighbouring districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar due to GRAP-4 restrictions.
Under GRAP-4 measures, the state governments in Delhi-NCR are asked to consider emergency measures like closing of colleges, educational institutions and closure of non‑emergency commercial activities, along with other restrictions on discontinuing offices.
In simpler terms, GRAP IV mandates hybrid mode for Delhi and key NCR cities for Classes up to V and advises the same for Classes up to XII.
However, an official statement from the Delhi and NCR authorities are awaited.