Delhi: 50% of govt employees to work from home due to 'severe' air pollution
The consistently high AQI levels in the capital has even activated Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan
Even as air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR breached the severe threshold, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) consistently above 450 in many areas, the Delhi government announced today (November 20) that 50 per cent of its staff will work from home.
The consistently high AQI levels as activated Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) – which happens to be a stringent level aimed at countering pollution.
In an effort to bring down the pollution levels, the Delhi government has now decided that 50 per cent of its employees will work from home in government offices.
Also read: Anti-pollution steps push daily wage workers into livelihood crisis
Fifty per cent of employees will work from home, said Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai, who also added that a meeting with officials will be held at 1 pm today in the Secretariat to discuss this.
Already, a ban has been imposed on BS-IV and older diesel medium and heavy goods vehicles (MGVs and HGVs) registered in Delhi. Only those that provide essential services is being allowed. Similar bans apply to BS-III petrol vehicles as well.
Schools for Classes 10 to 12 have been temporarily closed to minimise exposure for students.
According to reports, the Delhi government collaborated with IIT Kanpur to study the possibility of using cloud seeding as an emergency measure. This was discussed last year and preparations for it began in August, but a meeting on this is yet to take place.