Kuwait city: Indian authorities on Tuesday imposed several strict actions, including banning construction, demolition, and diesel vehicles in Delhi and the National Capital Region as air quality deteriorated to the severe category for the first time this year.
According to Kuwait News Agency, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change stated that the Sub-Committee on the Graded Response Action Plan of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas has invoked all actions envisaged under Stage-III of 'Severe' Air Quality with immediate effect. The Central Pollution Control Board data revealed that the average Air Quality Index recorded was 425 at 4:00 pm, marking its first entrance into the severe category this year.
Authorities have mandated the implementation of all actions outlined under Stage-III by the relevant agencies immediately, in addition to Stages I and II actions already in force.
The proposed measures include banning construction and demolition activities, shutting down operations of stone crushers, halting all mining and related activities, and enforcing strict restrictions on the operation of diesel vehicles in Delhi and the districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar.
A reading above 400 on a maximum 500 scale is considered hazardous, even for healthy individuals. Delhi is regarded as one of the most polluted cities in the world, according to several studies on global air quality. The high level of air pollution in the Indian capital is attributed to fireworks, industrial and vehicular emissions, construction-related pollution, and the burning of stubble in neighboring states.