Imran Hussain meets environment ministry officials to discuss deteriorating air quality

Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain met his ministry officials on Friday to discuss the deteriorating air quality in the national capital which slipped to "severe plus emergency" category after Diwali.

A thick haze engulfed Delhi on Thursday as it recorded its worst air quality of the year the morning after Diwali, with the pollution level entering "severe-plus emergency" category or ten times the permissible limit due to rampant bursting of toxic firecrackers in gross violation of a Supreme Court order, authorities said.

Hussain met officials of the Environment Ministry to discuss the deteriorating air quality and plan action if the air quality remains hazardous, officials said.

The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority on Thursday said it was closely monitoring the situation and if the pollution shows an increasing trend then emergency measures will be imposed in the national capital.

The emergency measures would be implemented as prescribed under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

Under the GRAP, stringent actions are implemented based on the air quality of the city.

The measures such as banning entry of heavy vehicles and odd-even scheme are implemented if the air quality slips to "severe plus emergency" category.