Air pollution worsened sharply across Delhi and nearby cities on Saturday. Authorities responded by rolling out the toughest emergency restrictions to limit further damage. Air quality readings rose through the day and crossed dangerous levels by evening.
The Air Quality Index touched 401 at 10 am. After this, the Commission for Air Quality Management imposed Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan. Conditions continued to decline. As a result, officials enforced Stage IV later in the day.
By 8 pm, the AQI crossed 450 and entered the ‘severe plus’ category. It reached 455 by 9 pm. At present, all stages of GRAP remain in force across the region.
Weather factors worsen air quality
CAQM explained the sharp rise in pollution levels during the day. “The AQI of Delhi, which was recorded as 431 at 4 pm, exhibited an increasing trend and has been recorded as 441 at 6 pm owing to slow wind speed, stable atmosphere, unfavourable weather parameters, meteorological conditions and lack of dispersal of pollutants,” The commission said it enforced Stage IV to stop the situation from getting worse.
Offices, schools and construction affected
Authorities announced wide-ranging restrictions under the higher GRAP stages. They restricted the movement of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar.
Officials banned all construction and demolition work across Delhi-NCR. The decision is likely to affect daily-wage workers. With Stage IV in force, authorities also withdrew earlier exemptions for linear public projects. These include highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, power transmission lines, pipelines and telecom works.
Officials also stopped the entry of non-essential trucks that run on non-cleaner fuels into Delhi.
Work-from-home rules and hybrid classes
After enforcing the stricter GRAP stages, the Delhi government issued orders under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
All government and private offices in Delhi must now operate with only 50% staff on-site. The remaining employees will work from home.
The government also changed school operations. Government, government-aided, unaided and recognised private schools must hold classes in hybrid mode. However, this rule does not apply to Classes X and XII.
Vehicle curbs tightened
Stages III and IV of GRAP focus heavily on cutting vehicle emissions. Authorities imposed restrictions on several categories of vehicles. These include BS III petrol and BS IV diesel light motor vehicles, BS IV diesel or older trucks entering Delhi, Delhi-registered diesel-operated BS IV and below heavy goods vehicles, and diesel-operated medium goods vehicles registered in Delhi. Non-Delhi registered BS IV diesel goods carriers also face entry restrictions.
Health advisory issued
Along with traffic curbs, CAQM issued a health warning for residents. “Children, elderly and those with chronic diseases should avoid outdoor activities,” the commission advised. The authorities said they will continue to monitor air quality closely and adjust restrictions if pollution levels remain dangerously high.