Published 09:37 IST, November 18th 2024

Dense Fog Blankets Delhi as Pollution Worsens; Flights, Trains Ops Affected, Schools Go Online

On Monday, as per the CPCB at 7 am, the AQI recorded in Anand Vihar (487), IGI Airport-T3 (494), Dwarka (499) was recorded as "severe."

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Delhi Pollution | Image: X
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New Delhi: Given worsening air quality in Delhi-NCR, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) imposed stage 4 of Gred Response Action Plan (GRAP) on Sunday. directions will be effective from today, Monday (November 18) from 8 am. This move comes amid significant rise in national capital's AQI, which crossed 500-mark in several areas in previous week.

On Monday, as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at 7 am, AQI recorded in Anand Vihar (487), Chandni Chowk (444), IGI Airport-T3 (494), Dwarka (499) was recorded as "severe."

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stage four restrictions were directed as GRAP subcommittee held an urgent meeting on Sunday, which reviewed current air quality, meteorological conditions, and forecasts from India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) for national capital.

subcommittee h previously invoked Stage-I, Stage-II, and Stage-III actions on October 14, October 21, and November 14, respectively.

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Delhi Schools Go Online as GRAP-IV Imposed

Starting Monday (November 18) all schools across Delhi will discontinue its physical classes except for Class 10 and Class 12.  In a tweet on X, Delhi Chief Minister Atishi ded that all schools will hold online classes until furr notice.

"With imposition of GRAP-4 from tmrw, physical classes shall be discontinued for all students, apart from Class 10 and 12. All schools will hold online classes, until furr orders," she wrote.

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IMD Issues Orange Alert For Dense Fog in Delhi

India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an “orange alert” warning for Delhi on Monday, saying that national capital may witness "dense" to "very dense" fog that could reduce visibility to as low as 200 metres in several parts of city and surrounding areas.

An IMD official, on Sunday, confirmed, “re are chances of dense to very dense fog in Delhi on Monday, with smog expected later in day.” alert comes as national capital experiences one of its foggiest days of season.

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wear agency forecast for Monday predicts that fog and smog will affect airports, highways, and railway routes, leing to difficult driving conditions and slower travel times across region.

Railways, Flights Likely to be Affected; IndiGo Issues visory

Amid smog situation in Delhi, private airline  IndiGo on Sunday issued a travel visory for its customers saying that fog might affect visibility in national capital which can also contribute in delayed flight schedules.

"#6ETravelvisory: Fog is currently affecting visibility in Delhi, which may result in slow moving traffic and delays in flight schedules," IndiGo said in a post on X at 11.44 pm.

In a separate post at 10.14 pm, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) said low visibility procedures are in progress at airport and that flight operations were normal.

Meanwhile, Railway services are also likely to be affected by fog, such as delays and disruptions. As of now, no visory has been issued by Indian Railways.

Stage- IV of GRAP: What's Allowed and What's Not?

Under stage 4 of GRAP here's a list of things allowed and what's not:

Allowed

  • Educational justments:

Schools shifted students from Classes 6 to 9 and Class 11 to online teaching.

Students in or classes could continue with offline learning, subject to school discretion.

  • Workplace Operations:

Private offices in National Capital Region (NCR) were directed to operate at 50 per cent capacity.

remaining workforce was encouraged to work from home.
Central government employees were vised to opt work-from-home arrangements, subject to departmental approval.

  • State-Specific Measures:

State governments in NCR were empowered to take ditional measures, such as shutting down colleges, limiting non-essential commercial activities, or implementing odd-even vehicle rules to reduce vehicular emissions.

What's Not Allowed:

  • Truck Entry into Delhi:

All non-essential trucks were prohibited from entering Delhi.

Exceptions were me for trucks carrying essential goods like food and medicine.

Vehicles running on clean fuels, such as LNG, CNG, BS-VI diesel, or electricity, were exempted from ban.

  • Construction and Demolition Activities:

All public construction and demolition projects, including work on highways, ros, flyovers, pipelines, and power lines, were halted.

Private construction activities were also restricted under ban.

  • Non-Essential Light Commercial Vehicles:

Non-essential light commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi were barred from entering city.

Electric vehicles (EVs) and those running on CNG or BS-VI diesel were allowed to operate.

  • Older Diesel Goods Vehicles:

Delhi-registered BS-IV or older diesel medium and heavy goods vehicles were banned.

Exceptions were granted only to vehicles used for essential services, such as waste management or emergency supplies.

 

 

 

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07:39 IST, November 18th 2024