The Delhi government seems to be very serious in curbing pollution levels in the national capital this year. After announcing the enforcement of Odd-Even rule for vehicles in November, another set of stringent measures are set to be donning rising pollution this year.
One such step forward is the GRAP abbreviated from ‘Graded Response Action Plan’ that looks into the steps taken to curb pollution in the city. GRAP is to be enforced in the capital from October 15 onwards this year.
Different categories of GRAP have been framed that will come into action depending on the air quality. The first ‘moderate to ‘poor’ category includes measures like enforcement of PUC checks, prevention of waste burning and regulating polluting industries.
When the air quality reaches the ‘very poor’ category’, measures, like shutting down of diesel generator sets and enhancing parking fees, kicks in.
The Supreme Court-appointed EPCA (Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority) has been taking meetings with several states over the last two weeks to assess preparedness over the implementation of GRAP.
In a recent meeting held by EPCA, the authorities in Haryana were asked to strictly enforce night patrolling and prevent open waste burning in the adjoining NCR.
The ‘severe’ and ‘severe plus’ categories include stringent measures like shutting down hot mix plants and stone crushers, intensifying public transport, stopping the entry of trucks into Delhi, stopping construction activity and even implementing the odd-even scheme.
Last year, GRAP was enforced on October 17.
Image Credits – India Today
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