Delhi Orders 50% Work-from-Home as Air Quality Deteriorates

Delhi's air pollution continues to pose serious health risks, with the city's air quality index (AQI) registering an alarming 423 on Wednesday morning, indicating "severe" pollution levels. Areas like Mundka (464), Wazirpur, and Alipur (462) were identified as the worst affected. Additionally, visibility at Indira Gandhi International Airport was reduced to 800 meters, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted hazy conditions with shallow fog throughout the day.

In response to the severe pollution, Delhi’s Environment Minister, Gopal Rai, announced that 50% of the state government’s employees will begin working from home. He said, "To reduce pollution, the Delhi government has decided to implement work from home in government offices. 50% of employees will work from home." A meeting to finalize the implementation is scheduled at 1 PM at the Secretariat.

Delhi’s Environment Minister, Gopal Rai, announced several measures aimed at reducing the city's air pollution. These include the ban on BS-III petrol four-wheelers and BS-IV diesel vehicles, as well as restrictions on trucks and diesel buses entering from outside Delhi. Additionally, schools have been closed for grades 10 and 12, and office timings have been adjusted to help ease the situation.

The Minister emphasized that the government is actively addressing the situation with all available resources and plans to maintain efforts to control pollution. An emergency meeting has been requested with the Union Environment Minister to discuss potential ground-level actions. The implementation of the odd-even traffic rule is being considered, but experts are currently evaluating its effectiveness in light of existing restrictions.

The dense fog is also affecting the city’s transport systems, leading to delays in train services. According to the Railways, 13 trains are currently delayed, and 9 have been rescheduled due to the weather.

GRAP Stage IV Measures in Effect The Supreme Court recently instructed Delhi and other National Capital Region (NCR) states to strictly enforce Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), given the persistent "severe" air quality. A bench consisting of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih directed authorities to immediately deploy teams to monitor compliance. The court emphasized that GRAP Stage IV measures should remain in force even if the AQI drops below 450. All NCR states and the central government are required to submit detailed compliance reports.

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