NEW DELHI, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Air quality in and around Delhi plummeted from "Poor" to "Very Poor" category over the past couple of days, prompting the city authorities to once again implement stricter anti-pollution measures on Friday.
Only last week, the measures were eased after rains had brought down the air pollution levels in the national capital.
According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research, Delhi's air pollution levels increased as the 24-hour average of air quality index stood at 371 at 04:00 p.m.
In a forecast the India Meteorological Department stated that the air quality was expected to worsen under the prevailing weather conditions in and around Delhi.
Considering the steady deterioration in air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management, which is the federal government's panel that oversees Delhi's air quality, invoked the Stage-3 curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan.
This would mean a ban on non-essential construction and demolition activities works inside the national capital in a bid to minimize the presence of pollutants in air. Besides, entry of some categories of vehicles is also banned in Delhi, and the primary schools are given an option to switch over to online classes.
