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An emergency air-quality warning system created in 2016 for the national capital territory of Delhi has failed its sole purpose: To warn citizens of hazardous levels of air pollution.
Over the last one month, Delhi residents should have received an alert every day, warning them that air quality index (AQI) readings were breaching danger levels. Since 8 October 2017, air-quality levels crossed “poor” eight times, “very poor to severe” 21 times, and “emergency” once, as they have for 48 hours to 8 November 2017, according to data from the government’s own alert system, the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
After Delhi witnessed its worst smog in 17 years in 2016, the CPCB, under directions from the Supreme Court, submitted the GRAP to address the air-pollution crisis gripping the national capital region, particularly in winter.
Based on national air-quality index (AQI) readings generated by CPCB air-quality monitors, the GRAP system categorises pollution levels as “good” (AQI reading of 0-50), “satisfactory” (50-100), “moderate” (100-200), “poor” (200-300), “very poor” (300-400), and “severe” (400-500). Each grade of pollution involves curbs to prevent escalation. This is how it is supposed to work:
Poor (200-300 AQI):
Very Poor (300-400 AQI)
Severe (400-500 AQI)
Emergency (500+ AQI)
An AQI reading of over 500 is considered to an “emergency”, and involves a shutdown of most outdoor activities. These measures are not new to authorities – they were recommended by a Indian Institute of Kanpur (IIT)-Kanpur report submitted to the Delhi government in January 2016, as IndiaSpend reported on 10 November 2016.
Air quality in Delhi began to dip from “moderate” to “poor” in the first week of October 2017 and proceeded to worsen.
Apart from curbing traffic, enforcing pollution standards on power plants and sprinkling water to curb dust, the government also should have made citizens aware of pollution levels using social media and mobile apps.
On Diwali day, 20 October 2017, CPCB monitors in the national capital region recorded “severe” levels of pollution with an AQI reading of 403 – 16 times above WHO limits, suggesting poor implementation of the SC ban on firecrackers.
Over the last three weeks, government authorities, as per their own plan, should have also issued health advisory alerts for vulnerable populations or young children and senior citizens, banned use of diesel-run generators, raised parking fees, increased public transport services, and banned the use of firewood and coal.
To be successful, most components of the GRAP require concerted and coordinated efforts from various agencies and bodies spread across the national capital region (NCR) and neighbouring states.
“GRAP has an ambitious set of measures under each category of alerts to be issued with action extending to Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Yet, the system does not mention a proper mitigation plan for addressing crop fires across the NCR states, to which the evidence clearly attributes a 25 percent rise in the pollution levels,” said Madineni.
(This article was originally published on IndiaSpend. It has been republished with permission)
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