GURUGRAM: The Haryana The government on Sunday NCR districts — Gurugram, Faridabad, Jhajjar And Sonipat In view of the deteriorating situation, for the next seven days to close schools and ban construction activities. air quality, On Saturday, the Additional Chief Secretary issued this order under a similar directive of the Delhi Government. SN Roy,
The order said the air quality in the NCR and adjoining areas was well below the “accepted norms” and could prove to be injurious to the health of the children. On Saturday, the Supreme Court had taken cognizance of the poor air quality in the region and directed the Center and the governments of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi to take immediate steps to reduce the AQI levels, asking “how people Will you breathe?”
Following the apex court’s remarks, a meeting was convened by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the NCR and adjoining areas. Apart from keeping the schools closed, the Haryana government also directed the offices to instruct their employees to work from home. “After considering the present situation, Haryana Government has decided to take prompt action with a view to reduce the air pollutants immediately. In four districts of NCR, instructions have been given to keep all schools closed for the next seven days. All government, private establishments conduct their non-essential activities from home. The idea is to reduce the load of vehicles by 40% off the roads,” Roy said in the order.
According to the order, the construction and demolition activity should be stopped immediately. The government has also asked the officials to ensure that there is no incident of open burning of garbage and sweeping by hand. It added that municipal bodies will have to ensure regular sprinkling of water on the roads to help settle the dust.
After remaining in the “severe” category for the past two days, Gurugram’s air quality turned “poor” on Sunday due to better wind speed. The AQI in the city on Sunday was 287, which was 441 on Saturday. But since November 2, Gurugram’s air quality has hovered around “very poor” to “severe”. Pollution department officials said the AQI could again be “very poor” in the coming week.
On Sunday, only one out of four air monitoring stations in Gurugram recorded the AQI in the “very poor” category. While Gwal Pahari recorded the highest AQI of 302 (Very Poor), Sector 51 292, Vikas Sadan 297 and Teri Village 257.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, a “very poor” AQI can cause “respiratory illness on prolonged exposure”. Several private hospitals in the city are already reporting a surge in cases of respiratory diseases.
Officials of the State Pollution Control Board said that the civic authorities and other agencies are following all the measures prescribed under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
“All civic agencies are managing the situation on the ground to ensure that the air quality is breathable again. Although the AQI had improved on Sunday, the air quality is likely to deteriorate in the coming days due to fall in temperature. He also pointed out that the air was better on Sunday as there were fewer vehicles on the road.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Gurugram recorded a minimum temperature of 11 degrees Celsius on Sunday. When the mercury is low, it prevents pollutants from spreading closer to the ground.
The AQI was not better in the entire NCR. Meanwhile, Delhi recorded “very poor” air with an AQI of 330 on Sunday. The AQI in the capital on Saturday was 437 (severe). According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s PM2.5 also declined to 12% on Sunday from 31% the previous day.
Faridabad also had a “poor” AQI (298). On Saturday it was 423. The AQI in Sonipat was 288 on Sunday and 324 on Saturday. Jhajjar on Sunday recorded an AQI of 296 against 416 a day earlier.
The order said the air quality in the NCR and adjoining areas was well below the “accepted norms” and could prove to be injurious to the health of the children. On Saturday, the Supreme Court had taken cognizance of the poor air quality in the region and directed the Center and the governments of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi to take immediate steps to reduce the AQI levels, asking “how people Will you breathe?”
Following the apex court’s remarks, a meeting was convened by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the NCR and adjoining areas. Apart from keeping the schools closed, the Haryana government also directed the offices to instruct their employees to work from home. “After considering the present situation, Haryana Government has decided to take prompt action with a view to reduce the air pollutants immediately. In four districts of NCR, instructions have been given to keep all schools closed for the next seven days. All government, private establishments conduct their non-essential activities from home. The idea is to reduce the load of vehicles by 40% off the roads,” Roy said in the order.
According to the order, the construction and demolition activity should be stopped immediately. The government has also asked the officials to ensure that there is no incident of open burning of garbage and sweeping by hand. It added that municipal bodies will have to ensure regular sprinkling of water on the roads to help settle the dust.
After remaining in the “severe” category for the past two days, Gurugram’s air quality turned “poor” on Sunday due to better wind speed. The AQI in the city on Sunday was 287, which was 441 on Saturday. But since November 2, Gurugram’s air quality has hovered around “very poor” to “severe”. Pollution department officials said the AQI could again be “very poor” in the coming week.
On Sunday, only one out of four air monitoring stations in Gurugram recorded the AQI in the “very poor” category. While Gwal Pahari recorded the highest AQI of 302 (Very Poor), Sector 51 292, Vikas Sadan 297 and Teri Village 257.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, a “very poor” AQI can cause “respiratory illness on prolonged exposure”. Several private hospitals in the city are already reporting a surge in cases of respiratory diseases.
Officials of the State Pollution Control Board said that the civic authorities and other agencies are following all the measures prescribed under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
“All civic agencies are managing the situation on the ground to ensure that the air quality is breathable again. Although the AQI had improved on Sunday, the air quality is likely to deteriorate in the coming days due to fall in temperature. He also pointed out that the air was better on Sunday as there were fewer vehicles on the road.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Gurugram recorded a minimum temperature of 11 degrees Celsius on Sunday. When the mercury is low, it prevents pollutants from spreading closer to the ground.
The AQI was not better in the entire NCR. Meanwhile, Delhi recorded “very poor” air with an AQI of 330 on Sunday. The AQI in the capital on Saturday was 437 (severe). According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s PM2.5 also declined to 12% on Sunday from 31% the previous day.
Faridabad also had a “poor” AQI (298). On Saturday it was 423. The AQI in Sonipat was 288 on Sunday and 324 on Saturday. Jhajjar on Sunday recorded an AQI of 296 against 416 a day earlier.
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