Delhi pollution: Why drastic GRAP IV rules still hang fire even as citizens choke
On Friday, Delhi's air quality deteriorated to the 'severe plus' category, surpassing an AQI of 450. Despite this, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) opted not to enforce measures under stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) due to a later decline in pollution levels.
After hitting the 'severe' level by 5 pm on Thursday, leading to the implementation of stage III measures under GRAP, the AQI exceeded 470 on Friday morning and remained at 475 from noon to 3 pm.
The average AQI was reported as 468 at 4 pm by the Central Pollution Control Board.
The CAQM sub-committee, responsible for GRAP implementation, assessed the situation, considering meteorological forecasts from the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, ToI reported. Observing a decreasing trend in the average AQI from 475 at noon to 456 at 5 pm, the sub-committee decided, unanimously, to monitor the situation for a day or more before considering stricter actions under stage IV of GRAP.
The current actions from stages I, II, and III would continue for the time being.
Chandra Bhushan, CEO of the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability, and Technology (iFOREST), called for a thorough evaluation of GRAP's effectiveness. He highlighted that measures like odd-even road rationing and construction restrictions haven't significantly reduced pollution in past events.
Bhushan emphasized that the primary contributors to Delhi's air pollution, such as stubble burning and the use of solid fuels like biomass and coal, are not effectively addressed by GRAP. Additionally, he pointed out the substantial pollution originating from outside the National Capital Region, which lacks proper control
. Read more on economictimes.indiatimes.com
