New Delhi: Despite several measures taken by the Arvind Kejriwal government, the air quality in the national capital continues to remain in the “very poor” category, with the overall Air Quality Index recorded at 321 on Tuesday morning. The air quality in areas adjoining Delhi was also recorded in the very poor category this morning, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) data.


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The air quality in Delhi slipped into the "severe" category on Thursday, according to SAFAR data. However, in view of visible improvement in the air quality, the Delhi government on Monday decided to reopen primary classes from November 9 and revoke the order asking 50 per cent of its staff to work from home.


However, plying of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers in the national capital will remain banned under stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai told a press conference. The plan is a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in Delhi and its vicinity according to the severity of the situation.


The transport department, in an order, said the vehicles found plying in violation of the rule will be prosecuted under the Motor Vehicles Act, which could invite a fine of Rs 20,000. Vehicles deployed for emergency services, and government and election-related work are exempted.


"There has been a rapid improvement in the air pollution situation in Delhi and farm fires have also reduced. Therefore, it has been decided to reopen primary schools from November 9 and revoke the order asking 50 per cent of the government staff to work from home," Environment Minister Gopal Rai said. School principals have welcomed the Delhi government's decision to restart primary classes from Wednesday though environmentalists warned against "knee-jerk reactions".


Minister Rai said curbs under stage 3 of GRAP will remain in force. Private construction and demolition will remain banned in Delhi, he said. Rai added that 500 additional buses will be run in the capital under the "Paryavaran Bus Sewa" campaign to bolster public transport.


With air pollution ameliorating in Delhi, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday directed authorities to lift the ban on plying of non-BS VI diesel light motor vehicles in the region and the entry of trucks into the national capital imposed under the stage 4 of the GRAP.


It had also banned construction work in public projects such as highways, flyovers, power transmission, and pipelines in Delhi-NCR. The CAQM order recommending the restrictions was issued on Thursday.


Delhi recorded its air quality in the very poor category for the third consecutive day on Monday, but it is likely to deteriorate further in the coming days due to unhelpful meteorological conditions, forecasting agencies said. The capital's 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) worsened from 339 on Sunday to 354 on Monday. It was 381 on Saturday.


The GRAP classifies the air quality in Delhi-NCR under four different stages: Stage 1 - 'poor' (AQI 201-300); stage 2 - 'very poor' (AQI 301-400); stage 3 - 'severe' (AQI 401-450); and stage 4 - 'severe plus' (AQI >450). Farm fires in Punjab rebounded -- 2,487 incidents were reported on Monday as compared to 599 a day ago.


However, their share in Delhi's PM2.5 pollution dipped from 18 per cent on Sunday to 14 per cent on Monday, according to data from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and the SAFAR, a forecasting agency under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences.


Restrictions under stages 1 to 3 of the GRAP, will, however, remain in place. High pollution levels had prompted the Delhi government to announce additional measures on Friday, including the closure of primary schools from Saturday and work from home for 50 per cent of its staff.


According to an analysis conducted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee last year, people in the national capital breathe the worst air between November 1 and November 15 when stubble-burning peaks and winters set in.


The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) released by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago in June showed that residents of Delhi stand to lose 10 years of life expectancy due to poor air quality.


(With Agency Inputs)