Delhi air quality: With the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi dropping to the 'poor' level today (October 6), authorities in the National Capital Region (NCR) have been asked to strictly implement measures under Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) which include a complete ban on the use of coal in roadside eateries, hotels and restaurants.
At a meeting on Friday, the Centre's sub-committee on GRAP noted that there has been a sudden dip in air quality parameters in the region in the last 24 hours which pushed Delhi's AQI to 212 (poor category).
"It is considered necessary to invoke Stage-I of GRAP with immediate effect in the entire NCR in an effort to take steps to prevent further deterioration of air quality in the region," the Commission on Air Quality Management said in a statement.
GRAP- a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the Delhi-NCR region in the winter season- classifies actions under four different categories-
- Stage I - 'Poor' (AQI 201-300)
- Stage II - 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400)
- Stage III - 'Severe' (AQI 401-450)
- Stage IV - 'Severe Plus' (AQI >450)
Under the stage 1, authorities are also required to take penal and legal action against polluting industrial units.
Delhi govt planning to deploy anti-smog guns:The Delhi government is planning to deploy 200 anti-smog guns this year as part of its anti-dust campaign which kicks off on October 9, officials said. The Public Works Department (PWD) has already started hiring anti-smog guns across various sub-divisions.
"There are around 19 sub-divisions under the PWD. They have floated tenders for procuring anti-smog guns as per their requirement. This year, we plan to deploy 200 anti-smog guns to address the problem of dust pollution. Last year, PWD had deployed 150 anti-smog guns," an official said.
The process has already been completed in some sub-divisions, the official added.
"The smog guns shall normally be deployed from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on all working days. They will be mounted on a CNG Truck BS-VI and the capacity of water tanker should not be less than 7000 litres. The vehicle should be equipped with front and back cameras and GPS system. It should be able to spray water up to a height of 50 metres," the official said.
The official said the contractor has to supply the anti-smog guns on a regular basis.
"If the contractor, fails to provide the required number of anti-smog guns on any day, a recovery of Rs 20,000 per day or Rs 2,500 per hour shall be made from the contractor.
The tankers must be filled to their full capacity, otherwise a penalty of Rs 2000 per day will be imposed," he added.
If the vehicle is found stationary, a penalty of Rs 3000 per hour shall be imposed and the engineer-in-charge's decision in this regard shall be final and binding on the contractor, he further said. The department has also mandated that the driver, supervisor and operator of the anti-smog gun shall be in uniform, and if any lapse is found, a fine of Rs 100 per day will be imposed.
The Delhi government had on September 29 launched a 15-point action plan to mitigate air pollution in the national capital during the winter season.
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