As the nation's capital continues to struggle with extreme air pollution, the Delhi government declared today that half of its employees will work from home.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) is continuously above 450 in numerous places, indicating that air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR have beyond the "severe" threshold. Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the strictest stage designed to address hazardous pollution, has been activated due to this high AQI.
According to Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai, "To reduce pollution, Delhi government has decided to work from home in government offices. 50% of employees will work from home. For its implementation, a meeting will be held with officials at 1 pm today in the Secretariat."
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Delhi government have introduced staggered office hours.
All BS-IV and older diesel medium and heavy goods vehicles (MGVs and HGVs) registered in Delhi are prohibited, with the exception of those that are necessary for critical services. BS-III petrol vehicles are also subject to similar prohibitions.
To reduce student exposure, schools for Classes 10 through 12 have been temporarily closed.
IIT Kanpur and the Delhi government worked together last year to investigate cloud seeding as a backup plan. Although a meeting has not yet been held, preparations for this year's operations started in August.
