Delhi battles smog: 50% government staff to work from home, announces Gopal Rai
Due to severe air pollution in Delhi-NCR, the Delhi government has mandated 50% of its staff to work from home. This measure, part of GRAP Stage IV, aims to mitigate hazardous pollutants as the AQI surpasses 450 in several areas.
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FollowThe Delhi government announced on Wednesday that 50 per cent of its staff will work from home today as the national capital continues to grapple with severe air pollution.  The "severe" threshold for air pollution has been exceeded in Delhi-NCR, where the Air Quality Index (AQI) is continuously higher than 450 in numerous places. The most severe level of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), Stage IV, has been initiated in response to this high AQI in order to address hazardous pollutants.
"In an effort to cut down on pollution, the Delhi government has chosen to allow employees to work from home in government offices. Half of the workforce will be remote workers. A meeting with officials will be conducted in the Secretariat today at 1 pm to discuss its implementation," Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said.
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Gurugram allows work from home
Gurugram has declared that, as of November 20, all corporate organizations and private institutions in the city would allow employees to work from home. According to a notification released by the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram, "all private institutions & corporate offices in Gurugram have been advised to implement 50% work-from-home policy starting 20th Nov 2024 until further notice" in response to the Commission for Air Quality Management's (NCR) directive.
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Delhi AQI dips
Delhi's air quality index fell to 424 on Wednesday from 488 at 9 a.m. the day before, but the air was still dangerous. Delhi's air quality on Monday was the second worst since 2015, and the air quality index was 484 at the same time. On the same day, the government put Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) into effect. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai requested the Center to call an emergency meeting to address the crisis and sanction creating artificial rain over the nation's capital amid a blame game between the ruling AAP and BJP. Since AQI tracking started in 2015, Monday's score was the second-worst air quality recorded, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
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