Delhi's Air Pollution: Commission Invokes Stage II of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Environment & Ecology (Air Pollution, Air Quality Index (AQI), Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), Pollutants like PM2.5, PM10); Governance.
Mains:
General Studies Paper 3 (Environment): Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
General Studies Paper 2 (Governance): Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.
Key Highlights from the News
The air quality in the Delhi-NCR region has dropped to the "very poor" category. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has therefore instructed the implementation of Stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
This action was taken after the city's Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed 300.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) have predicted that the air quality will worsen in the coming days.
Key Measures to be implemented in GRAP Stage II:
Daily mechanical/vacuum sweeping of roads and water sprinkling to control dust.
Strict checking at construction and demolition sites to ensure dust control measures are followed.
Strengthening of public transport (adding more CNG and electric buses, increasing Metro services).
Resident welfare associations to provide electric heaters to security guards to prevent open burning of biomass and solid waste.
COMMENTS