niyati goyal:
Air population in Delhi NCR region has risen to unprecedented levels. This has sparked a major concern in the people of the region as they face yet another year of severe pollution levels. This year the authorities have again remained unsuccessful to keep the AQI levels under control as the AQI level in Delhi NCR region has remained over 500 over the last couple of days with levels reaching as high as 562 in some parts. Recently the Commission for Air Quality Management held a meeting where they put the Stage IV GRAP was put into motion with immediate effect as the AQI levels were in the severe+ category. The CAQM has directed all the requisite agencies to strictly implement the Stage IV of GRAP and has urged all the people of NCR to cooperate in the implementation of the GRAP Stage IV. The Stage IV GRAP keeps in focus the movement of vehicles in the Delhi NCR region. Under the Stage IV GRAP the entry of trucks is banned in Delhi. The movement of Delhi registered diesel Medium Goods Vehicles (MGV) and Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) in the region is also banned. What will affect the people most is that the Sage IV GRAP also bans the movement of diesel four-wheelers registered under the LMV category in Delhi and NCR region as well, the diesel LMVs registered under the BS-VI norms are however exempt from this. Furthermore in the Stage IV GRAP the state governments can also consider the application of the odd-even plan for the movement of vehicles to curb pollution. However till now no such advisory has been issued by Delhi government. Trucks and vehicles involved in the movement of essential goods and services are exempt from these restrictions and even the CNG and electric powered trucks are exempt from these restrictions. Also Industries like milk & dairy units and those involved in manufacturing of life saving medical equipment/ devices, drugs and medicines are also exempted from the Stage IV restrictions.
The air pollution in the Delhi NCR region has many major contributors like construction activities, vehicular pollution, motor vehicle emissions, thermal power stations and stubble burning in the northern states. With a recent report surfacing that stubble burning in neighbouring states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab have contributed as high as 38 percent to the pollution levels in the city, it does feel like living in a gas chamber. In a report WHO even stated that the pollution levels in the Delhi NCR region is hazardous and can irreversibly damage the lungs of 50 percent of all children living in the region. Even then the authorities have failed the people of this region this year. Long have we heard the proverb, “prevention is better than cure,” but this doesn’t seem to be put into application in this case. The authorities are more into damage control as far as pollution is concerned rather than being proactive to prevent the AQI level from reaching severe levels in the first place.
One such initiative is the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas (CAQM). The GRAP is implemented in four stages. The way the GRAP works is that when levels of pollution reach a certain level a certain degree of enforcements are put into place, in a nutshell it is a response to when the AQI levels in stages according to level of pollution. Now that we have crossed into the severe+ AQI category with AQI levels exceeding the 450 mark that this response is being put into effect. The CAQM has also advised the elderly, children and those with respiratory, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular or other chronic diseases to stay indoors and avoid outdoor activities during the time that this plan is in place.