Title : THE GRADED RESPONSE ACTION PLAN

Date : Dec 04, 2021

Description :

GS III

 

Topic à Environmental Conservation related issues

 

• About the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP):

 

• The Graded Response Action Plan has been prepared for implementation under different Air Quality Index (AQI) categories, namely Moderate & Poor, Very Poor, and Severe, in response to the Supreme Court's order in the matter of M. C. Mehta vs. Union of India (2016) regarding air quality in the National Capital Region of Delhi.
• "Severe+ or Emergency" has been added as a new category.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change notified the Plan in 2017.
• It established procedures to be followed when air quality deteriorates.
• Because the plan is incremental, when the air quality goes from 'Poor' to 'Very Poor,' the measures stated in both sections must be implemented.
• It keeps PM10 and PM2.5 levels from exceeding the national AQI's'moderate' rating.

 

• Implementation:

 

• Until 2020, states were required to implement GRAP measures by the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA).
• In 2020, the EPCA was abolished, and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) took its place.
• CAQM is a statutory body that coordinates and oversees various attempts to enhance air quality in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, as well as the underlying corrective strategy.

 

• Other measures to fight the menace of air pollution include:

 

• In 2016, the Supreme Court imposed an EPC of 1% on the sale of diesel cars with displacements of 2000cc and higher in Delhi and the NCR.
• The Supreme Court imposed an Environmental Compensation Charge (ECC) on trucks entering Delhi in 2015.

 

• Source à The Hindu à 3/12/21 à Page Number 3

Tags : Air Quality Index, M. C. Mehta vs. Union of India, Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change