Delh-NCR is reeling under severe Air pollution. The 24-hour AQI in many parts of the capital recorded 400 and above. AQI in Delhi’s Anand Vihar touched the hazardous level of 999. As a safety measure, CM Arvind Kejriwal has declared the closure of Primary Schools in Delhi for two days.
Further, with 18 of the 37 areas of the national capital falling under the “SEVERE” category of the Air Quality Index (AQI), the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) issued an order to implement Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). In its message, CAQM stated that the condition is likely to aggravate due to “highly unfavorable meteorological and climate conditions.”
With Stage III of GRAP, all non-essential construction and demolition activities would be stopped. Also, BS3 petrol and BS4 diesel vehicles won’t be allowed to ply on roads in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar.
The Gurugram district magistrate in Haryana ordered a ban on burning waste material such as garbage, leaves, plastic, and rubber, invoking Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1973. A record 1068 farm fires were reported from Punjab on Sunday (October 29) alone raising the tally of stubble incidents this year in the state to 5,254.