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50% Delhi Government Employees to Work from Home Amid Severe Air Pollution: Gopal Rai

Environment Minister Gopal Rai announced on Wednesday that a portion of the employees in Delhi government structures will telecommute because of the city’s worsening air quality. This choice intends to reduce pollution and health hazards.

The Delhi government has settled on the choice to allow employees to telecommute at government workplaces with an end goal of reducing pollution. In an X post, Rai said, “Fifty percent of the staff in these offices will work remotely.” He went on to say that a meeting later that day would be held to discuss the implementation details.

The Delhi government previously founded staggered available time for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and its specialties. Delhi government workplaces are open from 10 AM to 6:30 PM, while MCD workplaces are open from 8:30 AM to 5 PM.

Air Quality Levels Remain Critical

Despite being lower than Monday’s concerning 494, Delhi’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 460 on Tuesday still qualifies as “severe-plus.” “Severe-plus” AQI fall between 451 and 500, with 500 serving as the upper limit. Authorities on the matter agree that delayed openness to such pollution levels can have serious short- and long-term well-being according to experts.

Six of the last seven days have seen the city’s AQI surpass 400, indicating that it has been continuously severe. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reports that the AQI reached a high of 424 earlier in the week, 441 on Sunday, and 417 on Monday.

Pollution Control Measures Enforced

In Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has carried out Graded Response Activity Plan (GRAP) Stage 4 measures. These include permitting schools to halt in-person instruction for the majority of students and outright prohibiting construction activity.

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Surface breezes are still weak, which hinders the dispersal of stored pollutants, therefore weather projections show no improvement in the days ahead. This effort to cut back on office workers is a component of a larger plan to address Delhi’s persistent air pollution problem.