On Monday, i.e. November 7, 2022, the government of Delhi announced the reopening of primary classes from November 9th, 2022, due to the improvement in AQI. The government further revoked the order asking half of its employees to work from home, which was taken to improve the city’s air quality. As per reports, Gopal Rai, Delhi Environment Minister, said there had been a great and quick improvement in the pollution circumstances in the city, and farm fires have also been lessened. He further said, ‘ Therefore, it has been decided to lift the curbs imposed under stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan in compliance with the direction from the Commission for Air Quality Management.’
Not only this, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) took back its orders banning BS III and BS IV diesel motor vehicles from the roads of Delhi. It lifted the ban imposed on Thursday on the entry of trucks shipping non-essential items and goods vehicles. This major decision was taken when the Air Quality Index (AQI) improved from 447 on Friday to 381 on Saturday and finally to 339 the next day, i.e. on Sunday. And the decision regarding working from home and reopening schools was taken by Gopal Rai in a meeting.
According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) forecast, the AQI is expected to improve further by November 8, owing to the reduction in local emissions and change in wind direction. For your information, an AQI between 0-50 is considered good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor, and 401-500 is considered severe.
Let’s hope that the air quality in the city gets better and improves with each passing day. Stay safe!
