Air pollution: Min Gopal Rai calls meeting to discuss measures under GRAP stage III

New Delhi: Environment Minister Gopal Rai will chair a high-level meeting on Sunday to discuss measures to be implemented under stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan, officials said here.

A layer of pungent smog enveloped Delhi-NCR on Saturday as air pollution in the region neared the "severe" zone amid adverse meteorological conditions. This prompted the Centre's air quality panel to direct authorities in the National Capital Region to immediately implement curbs, such as a ban on construction and demolition activities, under the Graded Response Action Plan stage III.

The national Capital is likely to witness mainly clear skies with shallow fog in the morning over the next three days, the India Meteorological Department said on Saturday.

Delhi's maximum temperature settled at 31.8 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, on Saturday and the minimum at 15.6 degrees Celsius, it said.

The relative humidity was 63 per cent at 5:30 pm.