Explained: Delhi's new winter plan to fight rising pollution levels

Poor visibility, a burning sensation in the eyes and gasping for fresh air represent a common winter day in Delhi. The national capital tops every chart of being the most polluted city in the world. At times, the Air Quality Index (AQI) has indicated ‘hazardous’ levels of pollution in Delhi. In a bid to tackle the menace of air pollution, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has updated a set of anti-air pollution measures — called Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) — which will be implemented in Delhi and its vicinity in line with the severity of the situation. The Graded Response Action Plan was notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2017. It is brought into effect every year mid-October when pollution levels in the region starts deteriorating. Released by CAQM on Wednesday, the new restrictions under GRAP will incorporate the air pollution index which reflects the concentration of pollutants and not just particle matter (PM) 2.5 and 10 that were considered as a trigger to impose the curbs. Moreover, all the restrictions under the three most serious levels will be imposed pre-emptively and not after pollution levels have spiked, according to a Hindustan Times report. Let’s take a closer look at how Delhi plans to control air pollution. Why does Delhi choke every winter? In 2021, Delhi was found to be the most polluted city in the world for the fourth consecutive year. The national capital last year saw 14.6 per cent increase in PM2.5 concentrations than 2020, according to an Economic Times report. Owing to poor air quality, Delhi’s city hospitals got more patients with respiratory conditions like asthma, respiratory infections and even heart attacks in 2021.  According to an Observer Research Foundation (ORF) report, children are the most vulnerable to pollutants. Poor air quality is directly associated with respiratory problems as deficit in lung function and growth in children. A new study conducted by Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago revealed that life expectancy in Delhi is being reduced by 9.7 years due to air pollution. A range of urban factors along with stubble burning by farmers in neighbouring regions contribute to the increasing pollution levels in the national capital. However, the Supreme Court last year said that stubble burning is only partly responsible for pollution in Delhi, according to a Business Standard report. According to a report  published by The Outlook, weather plays a key role in increasing pollution levels. Delhi and its neighbouring cities encounter a phenomenon called winter inversion, which results in low wind speeds and combined with a dip in temperature pollutants are brought closer to the ground. Other contributors include construction activities, harmful pollutants emitted by industries as well as the use of fireworks during Diwali which usually falls just before winter arrives in Delhi. Explained: How air pollution is cutting life by 10 years in Delhi **Air pollution claims over 10 lakh lives every year and yet we tend to ignore it** What do the new GRAP guidelines say? GRAP for the National Capital Region (NCR) has now been classified under four stages based on the severity of air pollution: Stage I- ‘Poor’ (AQI 201-300), Stage II- ‘Very Poor’ (AQI 301-400), Stage III- ‘Severe’ (AQI 401-450) and Stage IV- ‘Severe Plus’ (AQI over 450). Before revising GRAP, the categories were ‘Good’ (AQI 0-50), ‘Satisfactory’ (AQI 51-100), ‘Moderate’ (AQI 101-200), ‘Poor’ (AQI 201-300), ‘Very Poor’ (AQI 301-400) and ‘Severe’ (AQI more than 401). Under the new policy, measures such as ban on entry of trucks and construction activities will be implemented based on the early warning given by forecasting system. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director at Centre for Science and Environment and part of the expert member on GRAP told Hindustan Times, “The idea is to not wait and then take action, but to take action in advance and when GRAP was formed, we did not have forecasting models. Now, these models will be used to forecast in advance and therefore these peak pollution events can be prevented in advance.” The revised GRAP measures call for an embargo on entry of trucks and heavy goods vehicles, except those carrying essential commodities, under the ‘Severe Plus’ (Stage IV) category or when AQI is more than 450. Under ‘Stage III’, when the situation turns severe, authorities will enforce a ban on construction and demolition activities, except essential projects like railways, metros, airports and the like. Along with these activities, brick kilns, hot mix plants and stone crushers that don’t operate on clean fuels will also be prohibited under this stage. A ban on coal and firewood — including the use of tandoors in eateries — and on diesel generator sets can be imposed under ‘Stage I’. The policy also said that state governments can considering allowing 50 per cent staff from public, municipal and private offices to work from home and the closure of educational institutions as part of emergency measures. What do experts say? Experts have lauded the revised GRAP. It is believed that by going for pre-emptive actions based on AQI projections the curbs are expected to bring down peak-level of air pollution in Delhi. Ritwick Dutta, an environmental lawyer and founder of the Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) was quoted in Hindustan Times saying, “The existing plan had been a failure as the implementation was largely taking place during winter and peak-pollution events, but one needs to ensure this gets implemented throughout the year.” He added that pollution levels can cross over 200 even during summers and hence pollution control measures should be implemented in Delhi throughout the year. According to a Times of India report, Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director of CSE had similar views about the revised policy. She pointed out that when GRAP was first implemented in 2017, CAQM didn’t have the necessary technology to anticipate the worsening condition of air quality. “Earlier, GRAP failed because Delhi did not have a  forecasting system in 2016-17. One had to wait for 48 hours. Now, we have better science and IIT Madras has a better forecasting system,” she said. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.