As people in the national capital continue to breathe poisonous air amid poor air quality, Delhi Minister for Environment Gopal Rai on Thursday made it clear that restrictions under Graded Response Action Plan-3 (GRAP 3) will continue till the improvement of air quality in the city.
On Thursday, Delhi’s air quality index stood at 324 in the morning, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR-India).
Also Read: Delhi air quality ‘very poor’, AQI at 331; no relief from high pollution levels for next few days
“The way wind speed is low, scientists believe that it can improve further. The government has decided that until air quality improves, GRAP 3 will continue in Delhi,” Minister Gopal Rai told news agency ANI.
Earlier, the senior Delhi minister had urged people to be careful and continue to follow restrictions and rules under stages 1, 2, and 3 of GRAP.
He also clarified that all the construction work in the city will remain suspended till the improvement of air quality in the city. However, the construction work of national importance, linear projects are going on, he added.
“Other than the construction work of national importance, other construction works are prohibited. Linear projects are going on,” the senior AAP leader said.
Delhi government lifted GRAP 4 restrictions earlier in November after the city witnessed some improvement in its air quality. Following the removal of restrictions under GRAP 4, government permitted the entry of trucks and buses except for BS-3 and BS-4 petrol and diesel vehicles in the city and lifted the ban on ongoing construction activities.
On Thursday, the air quality index score continued to remain above 350 in key areas of the city. According to CPCB data recorded at 6:00 am, the Air quality index at Anand Vihar was at 387 (very poor); At ITO, Delhi it was 343 (very poor) while the AQI at Wazirpur, Delhi, was 422 (severe), at RK Puram, it was 415 ( severe).
Also Read: All schools to reopen from Monday in Delhi as air quality improves
Indicating excessive toxicity in the atmosphere, AQI remained at 406 at Okhla Phase-2 at 7:00 am. The Air Quality Index from 0 to 100 is considered as good, while from 100 to 200 it is moderate, from 200 to 300 it is poor, and from 300 to 400 it is said to be very poor and from 400 to 500 or above it is considered as severe.
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Updated: 23 Nov 2023, 03:07 PM IST