delhi pollution in danger zone
Delhi is suffering from pollution. All offices in Delhi will now work with 50% staff due to severe air pollution. Instructions have been issued that other employees will work from home. Due to the increase in pollution levels, the Graded Response Action Plan or GRAP-3 has now been implemented in Delhi. The main objective of this step is to reduce the smoke emitted from vehicle motors and protect the general public from exposure to toxic air while the level of air pollution is increasing. The instructions have been issued by the Environment and Forest Department under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
Recently, the ‘Commission for Air Quality Management’ has made some changes to the rules. As a result, the 50% staffing limit in the strict rules of Stage-4 has now been implemented in Stage-3 itself. On November 22, Delhi’s average air quality index (AQI) was very poor at 364. Due to reduced wind speed, burning of crop residues and winter emissions, it crossed 400 and reached the ‘severe’ level in places like Anand Bihar. Therefore, essential services like hospitals, fire department, public transport, water and power supply, sanitation, jails and pollution control agencies have been exempted from the restrictions.
Along with this, the government has also changed the office timings of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and other departments to reduce traffic congestion. This will be in force till February 2025. The Supreme Court has also emphasized on permanent solutions to pollution, rather than relying solely on temporary GRAP.
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