Delhi's Air Quality Improves, GRAP-3 Restrictions Lifted; Activities Likely to Resume

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): With an improvement in Delhi's air quality, the Centre's air quality panel announced on Friday the removal of restrictions under Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi and nearby areas. This decision follows the withdrawal of GRAP-4 measures by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) a day earlier, citing a decline in pollution levels across Delhi-NCR.

The CAQM, in a statement revealed that its sub-committee met on Friday to review the regional air quality scenario and forecasts provided by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). According to the CAQM, IMD and IITM forecast favorable meteorological conditions and stronger wind speeds in the coming days, which are expected to keep Delhi's AQI at the lower end of the "very poor" category.

However, the CAQM emphasized that construction and demolition sites which were ordered to halt operations due to violations of various statutory rules, directives and guidelines will not be allowed to resume activities under any circumstances until further notice. As per the Air Quality Index (AQI) bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi's average AQI showed significant improvement on Friday, dropping to 289, indicating a clear decline in pollution levels. Stages 3 and 4 of GRAP had been implemented on January 15 when Delhi's AQI had surged beyond 350, signaling a rapid rise and even crossing the 400 mark in some instances.