As the state of the air in the national capital has gotten worse, the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) declared Saturday the start day of the implementation of the Stage III of the Graded Response Action plan (GRAP). The tighter restrictions on the anti-pollution were resumed when the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi exceeded the severe mark of 400 at approximately 10 am on December 13.
GRAP Stage III has prohibited a number of activities under the aim of reducing the further aggravation of air quality. These are all the non-essential construction as well as demolition work that is halted. Some of these activities would include earthwork, piling, open trenching, welding, painting, plastering, tiling and flooring. Stone crushers, brick kilns and mining units have also been closed down. Also, transportation of construction materials such as cement, sand and fly ash using unpaved roads has been banned.
In the transportation sector, the transport of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers have been prohibited in the city. Certainly, non-essential medium goods vehicles that run on diesel are also prohibited. Under the new restriction, inter-state diesel buses which fail to comply with CNG, electric or BS- VI emission standards have been banned into Delhi.
Nonetheless, GRAP III has exempted some activities and services to make sure that services which are essential do not suffer. Construction work on critical infrastructure projects is permitted. These are projects associated with metro rail, rail, airports, highways, defence, health facilities and sanitation related projects.
Cars owned by persons with disabilities have been left out of the limitations. Schools have been encouraged in the education sector to implement hybrid or online classes to students up to Grade 5 to reduce the exposure of children to dangerous air.
Governments have encouraged the population to adhere to the protocols and not to travel and engage in unnecessary activities. The officials reported that the situation is under close observation, and some additional measures can be applied in case air quality does not improve in the near future.
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