New Delhi witnessed a significant improvement in its air quality on Friday, thanks to overnight winds that helped disperse pollutants and lift the fog. This positive change led the air quality index (AQI) to move into the 'poor' category from worse levels, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to revoke the stringent Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage-III restrictions that had been in place for 20 days.
Weather and Air Quality Shift
The city recorded shallow fog in the morning, with visibility at 800 metres at Palam and 1,000 metres at Safdarjung. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that winds with an average speed of 12 kmph overnight were instrumental in ventilating the city. The AQI, which was a high 380 at 4 pm on Thursday, improved to 270 by noon on Friday and further dropped to 236 by 4 pm.
However, the respite is likely to be temporary. The IMD has issued a yellow alert, forecasting dense fog in isolated areas on Saturday and Sunday, along with a dip in the minimum temperature. The IITM's air quality early warning system also predicts that the AQI will remain in the 'poor' category till Saturday and is likely to deteriorate to the 'very poor' category again from Sunday.
On the temperature front, the minimum fell by over a degree to 9.1 degrees Celsius, while the maximum was recorded at 17.4 degrees, two notches below normal. The IMD has forecast maximum and minimum temperatures for Saturday to be in the ranges of 17-19 and 6-8 degrees Celsius respectively.
GRAP Curbs Lifted, But With Caveats
With the improvement in AQI, the CAQM decided to roll back the GRAP Stage-III curbs that were imposed on December 13. This revocation allows construction activities to resume and permits the entry of BS-IV diesel and BS-III petrol vehicles into the National Capital Region (NCR)-Delhi. The restrictions had been in force for exactly 20 days.
The commission, however, added an important condition. Construction and demolition project sites that were issued specific closure orders for violations or non-compliance cannot resume operations without a specific order from the authorities.
The poor weather conditions earlier in the day impacted air travel, leading to the cancellation of 32 arrival and 34 departure flights at source or destination airports.
MCD's Enforcement Drive in December
Stepping up action against pollution, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) issued a total of 11,377 challans for sanitation and municipal solid waste violations in December. As GRAP Stages III and IV were in force for most of the month, enforcement was intensified. Penalties amounting to Rs 24.2 lakh were imposed, of which Rs 21.6 lakh has been recovered.
The Najafgarh zone recorded the highest number of sanitation-related violations with 2,215 challans, followed by Rohini (1,480), South (1,271), Shahdara South (1,109), and City-Sadar Paharganj (1,028) zones.
Separately, MCD issued 766 challans for violations related to National Green Tribunal (NGT) norms and air pollution, imposing penalties worth Rs 96 lakh. The Central zone led with 285 such challans, followed by Najafgarh (119), West (82), and Narela (77).
In a crackdown on illegal industrial units, several factories and dyeing units were sealed, with the highest number—37—sealed in the Shahdara North zone till December 23. Of these, 17 were jeans dyeing units.
For its anti-pollution drive, MCD formed over 500 teams across 12 zones. Additional machinery, sanitation workers, and waste-collection vehicles were deployed to clean garbage-vulnerable points. The corporation is also clearing around 500 secondary collection points at night.
As part of dust mitigation, water sprinkling has been intensified using 28 anti-smog guns and 167 water sprinklers across all zones, with jet machines being used to wash major arterial roads. Furthermore, using funds from the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), 14 mechanical road sweepers will be purchased in batches by January 31, with an option to procure four more using central funds.
