The Commission for Air Quality Management in Delhi NCR has tightened curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan. Escalating measures first triggered last Wednesday as pollution levels rose. A notification issued on November 21 advanced the recommendation for states to impose 50% work from home for government and private offices from Stage 4 to Stage 3 of Grap.
In line with the directive, the Delhi government on Saturday asked private offices to operate with 50 percent on site staff and allow the rest to work from home. Environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the administration was implementing all pollution control measures “with full seriousness” and maintaining round the clock monitoring. Staggered timings for MCD and GNCTD offices have also been introduced to curb peak hour traffic emissions.
Stage 3 has been in force in Delhi since November 11. Officials said more than 1,200 inspections of construction sites and industrial units had been conducted, resulting in over 200 show cause notices and 50 closure orders. The updated plan also shifts several Stage 2 measures to Stage 1, including uninterrupted power supply to curb diesel generator use, staff deployment at traffic choke points, public advisories and increased frequency of buses and metro trains. Since CAQM is not an enforcing authority, states issue orders based on its directions.
Meanwhile, in Gurugram, even as intensified restrictions continue in the capital, the air quality remained in the “poor” category for the second consecutive day on Saturday, with the AQI recorded at 286. This marked an improvement from the “very poor” levels earlier in the week, but residents said unchecked waste burning persists in violation of GRAP norms.
At 5pm, Gwal Pahari recorded the worst air quality at 328, alongside Sector 51 at 328, both in the “very poor” category. Teri Gram registered 222 and Vikas Sadan 274, both categorised as “poor.” PM2.5 remained the dominant pollutant. The city woke up to dense smog as sluggish winds persisted. A senior IMD official said visibility at several points in Delhi NCR was around 2,300 metres at 5pm, adding, “The air quality is expected to remain largely unchanged in the coming days, as a persistent dry spell and north westerly winds blowing at 10 to 12 kmph are unlikely to disperse atmospheric pollutants.”
Gurugram recorded a maximum temperature of 26.6 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 12.7°C on Saturday. IMD forecasts show next week’s maximum temperature will range between 23 and 26 °C, and minimum between 12 and 13°C.
Despite increased enforcement by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram and the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority to curb waste burning and construction related violations, residents continue to report open fires. In Sector 67A, residents of Ireo Corridor said waste burning had become a “recurring issue.” Sheetal Shishodiya said the area experiences a “strong, distinct burning stench,” adding that waste burning is visible in the adjoining farmlands. “We often see thick black smoke rising from the vacant land. I’ve witnessed it multiple times from my balcony and reported it repeatedly. This is a serious health hazard, especially when the city is turning into a gas chamber,” she said.
Another resident in Sector 46, requesting anonymity, said waste fires occurred at night and occasionally in the morning. “This is not very frequent, but in the last week I have seen it happening at least twice or thrice,” she said.
Krishan Kumar, regional officer at the Haryana State Pollution Control Board, said, “We are increasingly patrolling in the region. We have issued various challans to the builders and contractors wherever we have seen construction continuing in the city.”
Medical experts warned of dangerous long-term impacts. Dr Rakesh Sharma, Senior Consultant Medical Oncology at M | O | C Cancer Care and Research Centre, said, “Long term exposure to poor air quality, particularly fine particulate matter (PM2.5), causes irreversible lung damage through chronic inflammation and tissue scarring,” adding that PM2.5 exposure is linked to COPD, asthma aggravation, pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer. He noted that fine particulate matter increases overall cancer mortality by 22 percent per 10 µg/m³ exposure, with lung cancer mortality rising 36 percent.