New Delhi: The Centre on Saturday removed stringent curbs, including a ban on construction work related to linear projects and the entry of polluting trucks into Delhi, following an improvement in air quality due to an increase in wind speed and a change in wind direction. All schools till class 12th in Delhi will reopen on Monday.
The city's 24-hour average AQI, recorded at 4 pm every day, improved from 405 on Friday to 319 on Saturday. It was 419 on Thursday, 401 on Wednesday, 397 on Tuesday, 358 on Monday, 218 on Sunday, 220 on Saturday and 279 on Friday.
Stringent curb measures constitute Stage IV (the final stage) of the Centre's air pollution control plan, called the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for formulating strategies to combat pollution in the region, in the national capital region and adjoining areas, asked the Delhi and NCR states to revoke all emergency measures under which only CNG, electric and BS VI-compliant vehicles from other states are allowed to enter Delhi, with exemptions granted to those involved in essential services.
The pollution control body said all other curbs under stages I, II and III of GRAP, including a ban on non-essential construction work, mining, stone crushers and diesel generators, will continue.
The air quality forecasts by the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology do not indicate any steep degradation in the overall air quality of Delhi-NCR in the coming days, the CAQM said.
Recent findings from a joint project by the Delhi government and IIT Kanpur found out that vehicular emissions accounted for about 45 per cent of the capital's air pollution on Friday. This was reduced to 33 per cent on Saturday.
Secondary inorganic aerosols -- particles such as sulphate and nitrate that are formed in the atmosphere due to the interaction of gases and particulate pollutants from sources like power plants, refineries and vehicles -- are the second major contributor to Delhi's foul air, accounting for 19 to 36 per cent of the air pollution in the city over the last few days.
Delhi's air quality dropped over the last few days despite the city government implementing stringent measures, including a ban on construction work and the entry of diesel-guzzling trucks into the national capital.
According to IQAir, a Swiss company that specialises in air-quality monitoring, Delhi was the second-most polluted city in the world on Saturday after Baghdad.
