Delhi woke up to a smog covered sky with Air Quality Index in the 'Severe' category for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday.
To combat the pollution, Delhi government has announced staggered timings for their employees till February 2025 and the LG V K Saxena has approved it.
Some other steps taken by the Delhi government include extra Metro trips, ban on construction work, dedicated shuttle buses for government employees and primary schools being shut.
Delhi's AQI Stands At 'Severe' For 4th Day In A Row
The AQI recorded at 6 am in the national capital stood at 404, placing it in the ‘Severe’ category, as per the Central Pollution Control Board.
Some areas in Delhi recorded even high level of AQI - Alipur at 433, Anand Vihar at 436, and Ashok Vihar reaching 438.
The air quality index in Delhi was 411 (severe) at 9 am on Friday, according to official data. However, with wind speed picking up, the average 24-hour AQI at 4 pm came down to 396, still in the 'very poor' category.
Delhi Government Announces Staggered Timings For Employees
Chief Minister Atishi on Friday announced staggered timings for government offices in the city to ease traffic congestion given the pollution levels.
Under the schedule announced by her in a post on X, central government offices will operate from 9 am to 5.30 pm, Delhi government offices from 10 am to 6.30 pm, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) offices from 8.30 am to 5 pm.
Delhi LG V K Saxena issued a note approving the staggered government office timings till February 2025 and noted that a measure like this should have been in place several days back.
Environment Minister Assures Situation Will Improve | Steps Taken
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said the situation will improve further with higher wind speed on Saturday. In a press conference, Rai announced various steps the government took to deal with the crisis.
Steps Taken By Delhi Govt:
The government will run 106 shuttle buses and the Metro trains will make 60 extra trips daily to promote public transport.
A blanket ban on private construction and demolition activities while necessary government construction works will continue.
Government officials living across the city will be transported in 40 dedicated shuttle buses to discourage the use of private vehicles by them.
Commission for Air Quality Management announced these restrictions under stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan, or GRAP.
Private BS III petrol and BS IV diesel vehicles were banned from roads with violations inviting a penalty of Rs 20,000. Diesel and petrol inter-state buses from the NCR cities to Delhi are also banned.
The transport department has deployed 84 teams, with an additional 280 personnel for catching violators.
City schools for Classes up to 5 will shift to online mode after the weekend.
What Caused Delhi Pollution?
According to the Centre's Decision Support System for Air Quality Management, stubble burning was the highest contributor to Delhi's pollution on Thursday, accounting for approximately 33.3 per cent of the total.
Vehicular emissions contributed an estimated 11.9 per cent to Delhi's pollution on Friday.
The prominent pollutant, according to the CPCB, was PM2.5, which are fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, about the width of a human hair.
These particles are so small that they can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, posing significant health risks.
