As Delhi’s air quality worsens, EPCA asks to stop all construction

The eight areas in Delhi that recorded severe air quality on Saturday are Anand Vihar, Dwarka Sector 8, Narela, Punjabi Bagh, Bawana, Mundka, Vivek Vihar and Rohini.

The directives by the EPCA come a day after the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) gave its recommendations for the upcoming peak pollution period starting from November 1. The CPCB-led task force had urged the public to avoid outdoor activities and minimise the use of private vehicles to reduce exposure to toxic air.

Other measures include shutdown of coal and biomass-based industries (excluding thermal and waste-to-energy plants) from November 4 to 10; intensification of efforts by transport department to check polluting vehicles; and controlling traffic congestion in Delhi-NCR between November 1 and 10, as stated by the EPCA in its recommendations.

“The EPCA has been advised by the task force on graded action plan (GRAP) that the coming period, beginning from November 1, is projected to have adverse weather conditions, which will worsen the existing situation. All efforts have to be made to ensure that the levels do not rise further. The task force had advised EPCA to come up with some additional measures to combat air pollution,” the agency said in a letter.

Meanwhile, Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan Saturday said the government has decided to initiate criminal prosecution against agencies which do not comply with the directives to check air pollution.

The decision comes after a review meeting with 41 teams of the CPCB — deployed in Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurgaon and Faridabad — which found that the compliance rate of the agencies concerned was “very poor”.