The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has decided to lift the strict ‘Stage-III’ air quality measures in Delhi-NCR right away. This change comes because the air quality has gotten better thanks to good weather conditions.
On January 1, 2025, CAQM officials noticed that the Air Quality Index (AQI) had dropped significantly. Earlier, the AQI was over 350, which led to the implementation of Stage-III rules on January 3. However, as of 4:00 PM on January 1, the AQI had fallen to 346 and kept improving, reaching 335 by 5:00 PM. This showed that the air quality was likely to keep getting better.
The decision to lift Stage-III measures was made after the sub-committee looked at real-time data and weather forecasts from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). They said that, although the AQI might stay in the “Very Poor” or “Poor” range, it shouldn’t get worse.
Despite this good news, CAQM has confirmed that rules from Stage-I and Stage-II will still be in effect. Agencies are instructed to carefully watch and enforce these lighter rules to avoid heading back to Stage-III.
CAQM also reminded everyone that construction and demolition work, which had previously been stopped due to air quality issues, cannot start again without special permission.
While Stage-III measures are no longer necessary, the CAQM is asking the public to continue following the Stage-II guidelines, especially during the winter when the weather can change quickly. They promise to keep monitoring the air quality closely and make any more decisions if needed.
The CAQM explained that they are on the lookout to ensure the air quality remains good, making sure everyone is aware of the situation. They have a system called the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with four stages, where Stage-I is “Very Poor,” Stage-II is “Poor,” Stage-III is “Severe,” and Stage-IV adds even stricter measures if the AQI goes over 400.
In December 2024, after air quality had worsened, Stage-III measures were initially put in place on December 22. But with the improvements seen in January, the CAQM was able to lift these stricter rules to maintain lighter restrictions.
Leave a Reply