In view of the severe air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region, Phase 3 of the anti-pollution plan, including a ban on non-essential construction and demolition work, has been implemented. The 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi stood at 288 on Friday. The air quality in Delhi-NCR has been classified into four different stages: Stage I – ‘Poor’ (AQI 201-300); Stage II – ‘Very poor’ (AQI 301–400); Stage III – ‘severe’ (AQI 401–450); and Stage IV – ‘severe plus’ (AQI > 450).
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal last Friday reviewed the progress of the ‘real-time source apportionment project’ and said that identification of sources of air pollution on a real-time basis has now begun in the national capital.
The project, approved by the cabinet in October 2021 and set up in November 2022, has been undertaken by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) in collaboration with Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K), Indian Institute of Delhi (IIT-D). and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).
The IIT team is trying to identify in more detail the type of sources, the exact time and location of pollution emissions, he added.