Delhi pollution: Amidst severe air pollution in Delhi, Chief Minister Atishi announced on Thursday that all schools in the national capital will be closed and classes will be conducted virtually. The decision was made as Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) rose to 428 on Thursday morning, reaching the 'severe' category for the first time this season. This poses a significant health risk to residents, according to officials.
At 9 am on Thursday, 32 out of Delhi's 39 monitoring stations recorded AQI levels exceeding 400, with locations like Anand Vihar and IGI Airport being particularly affected. This reading represents the city's worst air quality of the season and the highest in the country.
In a post on X, Atishi wrote: "Due to rising pollution levels, all primary schools in Delhi will be shifting to online classes, until further directions."
The Air Quality Index in Delhi has reached the 'severe' level, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to enforce GRAP-III in the national capital region. As a result, construction activities will be stopped and inter-state buses/trucks will be prohibited from operating in the area.
What all is banned under GRAP 3
The implementation of GRAP-III prohibits any non-essential construction and demolition activities. Additionally, petrol vehicles adhering to the outdated BS-III emission standards and diesel vehicles meeting the BS-IV standards are restricted from operating on roads within Delhi and select areas of the National Capital Region (NCR), such as Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar under the GRAP-3 regulations.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), construction and demolition activities such as road construction, boring and drilling work, laying of sewer lines, drainage work, loading and unloading of construction material, and movement of vehicles on unpaved roads will be strictly prohibited as part of the Comprehensive Action Plan to Combat Air Pollution in Delhi.
Furthermore, in the third phase of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), all inter-state buses from National Capital Region (NCR) states, with the exception of electric vehicles, CNG vehicles, and BS-VI diesel buses, will not be allowed to enter Delhi.
This measure is accompanied by a strict ban on construction and demolition activities, suspension of mining-related activities, potential shift to online classes for students up to Class 5, and daily water sprinkling on major roads.
In the third phase of the GRAP, limitations would be placed on the operation of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles in Delhi, along with the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar.