BS-3, BS-4 vehicles banned after rising pollution in Delhi

The air quality in Delhi has worsened again, and in its attempt to curb the air pollution levels, Delhi Government has put up a temporary ban on the use of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles in the national capital. The temporary ban will remain in effect from Tuesday till the coming Friday. It is not the first time that the Delhi Government has taken a temporary stringent action like this, as something similar happened towards the end of 2022.

Delhi Government has imposed this temporary ban citing the issue of rising air pollution issues, which have led to worsening of the air quality in the national capital region. On Monday, the air quality index (AQI) of Delhi fell below 400, which is considered ‘severe’ and is an alarming situation. It is considered a worrisome situation, as stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is already in effect, with a temporary ban on construction works in the capital city.

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Delhi has been suffering from severe cold day conditions and a drop in temperatures, and along with the formation of a blanket of heavy fog, visibility has hit a new low in the capital region. The transport department of Delhi has issued a statement, which implies the ban on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles. After monitoring the situation, the ban will be lifted on Friday.

The ban on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles has been introduced under Stage III of the revised GRAP and Section 115 of the Motor Vehicles Act, of 1988. The ban is exempted for vehicles falling under emergency, police and government services. According to the transport department of Delhi, the offenders who will be found breaking this temporary ban will be prosecuted under section 194(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. Under this act, the offender is liable to pay a fine of Rs 20,000.

Pollution to remain high

System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) has indicated that the overall AQI in Delhi will continue to remain in the ‘severe’ category even on Tuesday. However, the new temporary ban imposed on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles is expected to ease off the situation a bit. The AQI in Delhi is currently above 400, which is considered to be a severe situation. An AQI between 0-50 is said to be good, while an AQI between 51-100 is termed satisfactory. However, situations become worrisome in AQIs between 101-200 (moderate), 201-300 (poor), 301-400 (very poor) and 401-500 (severe).

Based on GRAP

The Graded Response Action Plan or GRAP is a four-stage plan put into effect by the CQAM. The decision to implement a stage of GRAP is based on the AQI of Delhi-NCR. Stage 1 is Poor AQI (201-300). Stage II – ‘Very Poor’ (AQI 301-400). Stage III – ‘Severe’ (AQI 401 – 450) and Stage IV ‘Severe Plus’ (AQI > 450).

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