As air pollution surged to severe levels in Delhi, Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan today asked state governments in the national capital region to take steps to mitigate it and effectively implement the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
Vardhan, who is currently in Germany to attend a crucial climate change conference, said several meetings with all the state governments including Delhi have been held and measures required to deal with the issue have been agreed upon and reviewed regularly.
The NCR includes the whole of Delhi and certain districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, covering an area of about 53,817 sq kms.
"(The minister) has requested all the state governments in the NCR region to take effective steps for mitigating the levels of air pollution and bring them to acceptable levels.
"He has also requested for the effective implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan, as well as other steps identified in various meetings held by the central government with the state governments to improve the situation," an official statement quoting him said.
"Every possible step required to tackle the situation has been already identified and the need of the hour was to put them into action at ground level, which will yield significant results," the statement quoting him said.
The minister also requested the governments of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to implement the ban related to stubble burning.
"The current high levels of smog in some areas are the result of adverse meteorological conditions," he said.
He has also requested the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) to effectively implement the identified steps in a practical manner so that visible improvement is seen on the ground.
A combination of smoke from stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana and moisture turned Delhi into a "gas chamber" today, prompting authorities to announce a series of preventive measures including a four-fold hike in parking fees and slashing of metro fares.
The smog brought down visibility levels, affecting flight and train operations. The heavy air permeated living rooms and even the underground metro stations in the city making it difficult to breathe, turning eyes watery.
The air quality index was in the 'severe' category, with a score of 448 on a scale of 500, for the second time this year.
In pursuance of the Supreme Court order dated December 2, 2016 regarding air quality in the NCR, the Graded Response Action Plan was prepared for implementation under different Air Quality Index (AQI) categories namely -- Moderate and Poor, Very Poor and Severe, as per the National Air Quality Index.
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