Delhi Air Pollution: AQI at ‘Severe’ Level, Visibility Reduced in NCR; Primary Schools Move Online as GRAP-3 Restrictions Take Effect
GRAP Stage 3 will take effect at 8 a.m. on Friday. The Delhi government has announced that primary school classes will transition to online learning.
Image Source: India Today
On Friday morning, November 15, air quality in various parts of Delhi remained at a “severe” level, with a dense layer of smog covering the National Capital Region, including areas like Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram. The worsening Air Quality Index (AQI) led the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the central pollution authority, to activate Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which includes a ban on construction activities and restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles in Delhi and the NCR. These measures will take effect from 8 a.m. on Friday. In light of the severe pollution levels, the Delhi government also announced that primary school classes will be held online until further notice.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 441 at 6 a.m. on Thursday, with areas like Bawana (455), Dwarka Sector 8 (444), and Jahangirpuri (458) showing the highest levels of pollution, all above 400—considered “severe.” In an official directive, the CAQM mandated that Delhi and NCR states strictly restrict BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles, with violations incurring a fine of ₹20,000. Under GRAP Stage 3, interstate buses from NCR regions are barred from entering Delhi, alongside stringent bans on construction, demolition, and mining activities. Measures such as daily road water sprinkling and online classes for students up to grade 5 are also in place. Electric, CNG, and BS-VI diesel buses are permitted in the NCR. Less-polluting construction work, compliant with the C&D Waste Management Rules, will be allowed.
Additionally, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced that, with GRAP-III in effect, they will add 20 extra trips on weekdays starting Friday, building on 40 additional trips already operating under GRAP-II. The city’s AQI, recorded daily at 4 p.m., was 424, up from 418 the day before. Among Delhi’s 39 monitoring stations, 27 registered “severe” AQI levels, including Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Aya Nagar, Bawana, Dwarka Sector 8, IGI Airport, ITO, Jahangirpuri, Mandir Marg, Mundka, Najafgarh, Narela, Nehru Nagar, North Campus, Patparganj, and Punjabi Bagh.
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