Kuwait city: The Indian capital on Saturday witnessed a sudden spike in the Air Quality Index, prompting the authorities to impose actions under Stage-IV of the Graded Response Action Plan for the Severe+ category. According to Kuwait News Agency, a statement from the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change indicated that the Sub-Committee of the Graded Response Action Plan of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas convened this evening. This meeting was held in response to the rising trend in the Air Quality Index due to unfavorable meteorological conditions, leading to the imposition of actions under Stage-IV. As part of the immediate measures, the authorities have restricted the entry of BS-IV truck traffic into Delhi and enforced a strict ban on the operation of Delhi-registered diesel-operated BS-IV vehicles, except for trucks carrying essential commodities or providing essential services. Additionally, all construction and demolition activities, includi ng linear public projects such as highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, power transmission, pipelines, and telecommunication, have been banned. State governments in the region have been directed to mandatorily conduct classes in hybrid mode in schools in Delhi and the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar. The statement further suggested that state governments may consider additional emergency measures such as the closure of colleges and educational institutions, closure of non-emergency commercial activities, and permitting the running of vehicles based on an odd-even registration number system. The move came as the average Air Quality Index was recorded at 441 at 6 PM local time. Any reading above 400 on a maximum 500 scale is considered dangerous even for healthy individuals. Delhi is recognized as one of the most polluted cities globally, as per several studies on global air quality. The intense air pollution in the Indian capital is attributed to factors like fireworks, industrial and vehicular emissions, construction-related pollution, and stubble burning in neighboring states. However, authorities have stated that the current situation is primarily due to unfavorable meteorological conditions, including low wind speed and the lack of pollutant dispersal.
