Delhi’s air quality improved from 262 on the index on Saturday to 201 on Sunday; however, it is still hovering in the ‘poor’ range
After over a week of air quality swinging between 'poor' and 'very poor' on the measuring index, emergency response measures will be pressed into action today. These will include stopping use of diesel-generator sets and the shut down of Badarpur coal power plant — as mandated under the Centre's Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) of 2017.
The notification states that as the Capital's air quality deteriorates during winter between October 15 and February 15, the GRAP measures have to be implemented in correspondence with the severity of pollution.
"As per the GRAP measures, use of diesel generator sets will be prohibited in Delhi and the Badarpur power plant will be shut. If the air quality deteriorates further, then other measures that are implemented under very poor and severe category, such as augmenting of metro and bus services alongside closing of brick kilns and construction activities will be rolled out," said Sunita Narain, member, of the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA).
EPCA is the implementing authority of the GRAP.
Even as Delhi's air quality showed improvement on Sunday on the air quality index (AQI), at 201, it still fell in the 'poor' category. On Saturday, the AQI was 262.
According to SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research), a research agency under the Ministry of Earth Science, Delhi's air quality is going to deteriorate marginally in the coming three days.
Meanwhile, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) — as part of its field inspections — has sent out 41 teams across Delhi-NCR to curb pollution at source in different parts of the city.
Satellite images from the Indian Space Research Organisation's Bhuvan application captured numerous agricultural fires locations in Haryana and Punjab on Sunday. There were a total of 68 fires captured in Punjab through satellite, with 32 of them concentrated in the Amritsar district alone. In Haryana, there were 141 fires counted, with 59 of them in Karnal alone, along with 29 in Kurukshetra and 25 in Kaithal. Smoke generated from farm fires has been attributed as one of the major sources of air pollution across Delhi-NCR during winters.
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