As AQI Improves, Curbs Imposed in Delhi-NCR Under GRAP Stage II Revoked

Pollution control authorities have revoked the curbs enforced in the Delhi-National Capital Region under Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) owing to an improvement in the air quality in the last few days, officials said here.

All actions as envisaged under Stage-I will continue and be implemented in right earnest by all the agencies concerned in the National Capital Region, they said on Wednesday.

Delhi’s overall air quality index (AQI) improved from 291 on February 26 to 178 on March 1, according to an AQI bulletin provided by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

“…forecast by IMD/IITM indicate the overall AQI of Delhi to be in ‘moderate’ category in the coming days,” the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said in a statement.

In view of this trend of improvement in the overall AQI of the Delhi-NCR, the GRAP Sub-Committee accordingly decided to roll back actions under Stage II of GRAP (‘Very Poor’ AQI) in the entire NCR with immediate effect, the CAQM said.

Based on earlier decisions of the sub-committee for invoking actions under the GRAP order dated October 19, 2022, for invocation of actions under Stage II, was revoked on February 1 this year.

Further, actions under Stage II of GRAP were re-implemented on February 16 in view of the air quality forecasts by IITM/ IMD predicting the overall AQI of Delhi to deteriorate from February 17, it said.

The commission has advised people to keep the engines of their vehicles properly tuned, maintain proper air pressure in the tyres of vehicles, and keep PUC certificates of their vehicles up to date.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)