NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court-appointed pollution watchdog Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority on Wednesday said it will enforce measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for 'severe' air quality, if the air quality remains so for the next 48 hours.
Till then, GRAP measures for 'very poor' air quality will continue, asserted the EPCA members. The GRAP measures for severe quality will bring restrictions over cars, parking, schools, entry of trucks and construction works.
"The GRAP for the 'poor' to 'very poor' air quality is already on the roll, but the plan for 'severe' air quality will come only if the situation stays 'severe' for the next 48 hours," said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, Executive Director, of Center for Science and Environment.
She added that various meteorological conditions have played foul this season, in addition to urban factors.
"This October was better than last year. We have mostly days with 'very poor' air quality and not 'severe', which was not the case earlier. Also, last year Diwali had a big role," she said.
Expressing her concern over the farm fire incidents, Roy Chowdhury told Millennium Post, "It does not matter much if the cases have gone down in October, because the cases generally increase in the first half of November. This year also, reports are the same that stubble burning has increased in Punjab and Haryana."
Noting that private vehicles contribute to 40 per cent of pollution in Delhi-NCR, EPCA has urged Delhiites to use public transport for the first 10 days of November, when air quality is likely to further deteriorate.
The Authority also urged people to not use diesel vehicles in this period, as this will add to the pollution burden.
Delhi's air quality has been recording alarming trends in the last two weeks. The air qulaity level nose-dived to 'severe' level on Tuesday, prompting authorities to intensify measures to reduce pollution.
An EPCA member on Tuesday said in case of further deterioration of air quality, they are even contemplating regulating the use of private vehicles from November 1.
EPCA had earlier accepted recommendations of a Central Pollution Control Board-led task force for November 1 to 10, when further deterioration of air is expected due to festival season and stubble burning in neighbouring states.
Warning that pollution level could spike in the coming days due to western disturbances and stubble burning, EPCA said all construction activities involving excavation and civil construction will be stopped in Delhi and other NCR areas in these ten days.
Moreover, all stone crushers and hot mix plants generating dust pollution will stop functioning in Delhi-NCR.
"All industries using coal and biomass as fuel will stop functioning in Delhi and other NCR districts from November 4-10, 2018," the EPCA said.
It also said used of diesel generator sets in Delhi has been banned as of October 15 and the Badarpur Power Plant has been closed as of October 15.
The EPCA has also written to state governments of Haryana, Punjab and Delhi to close down brick kilns in NCR for the next ten days.
Mundka industrial area will remain closed in this period, so that all debris such as plastic, rubber and other waste is removed by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, based on the EPCA's inspection and directions.