Delhi Enters GRAP-3 Zone As Air Quality Turns ‘Severe’; Construction Banned, Offices Advised WFH

The Graded Response Action Plan is a framework that guides emergency measures to combat air pollution in Delhi-NCR. It classifies air quality into four escalating stages.

Neighbouring cities like Noida, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad also recorded AQI levels above 370.

Source : PTI

With pollution levels breaching the “severe” mark across Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Tuesday evening enforced Stage 3 restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), triggering a series of curbs on construction, vehicles, and industrial activity.

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) in the capital stood at 412 (Severe) on Monday, prompting immediate action. Key hotspots such as Bawana (412), Jahangir Puri (394), Burari Crossing (389), Nehru Nagar (386), and Anand Vihar (379) recorded alarming levels.

What Is GRAP?

The Graded Response Action Plan is a framework that guides emergency measures to combat air pollution in Delhi-NCR. It classifies air quality into four escalating stages:

Stage 1: Poor (AQI 201–300)

Stage 2: Very Poor (AQI 301–400)

Stage 3: Severe (AQI 401–450)

Stage 4: Severe Plus (AQI above 450)

Under Stage 3, the government enforces stricter curbs to immediately reduce emissions and dust.

Restrictions Under GRAP-3

1. Complete ban on non-essential construction and demolition work, including earthwork, trenching, and open-air Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC) plants.
2. Prohibition on plying BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel four-wheelers in Delhi and neighbouring NCR districts.
3. Ban on transportation of construction materials such as sand and cement on unpaved roads.
4. Closure of stone crushers, mining sites, and hot-mix plants not using clean fuel.
5. Restriction on diesel generator sets, except for essential and emergency services.
6. Advisory to private offices to shift to work-from-home or hybrid mode.
7. Schools up to Class 5 advised to move to online classes to protect children from toxic air.

Exemptions Under GRAP 3

Essential infrastructure projects such as railways, metro work, defence, airports, sanitation, and healthcare are exempted, provided strict dust control measures are followed.

Following a Supreme Court directive in 2024, CAQM revised the thresholds for action. While earlier, Stage 3 was triggered at AQI 350, it now activates at AQI 400. The agency also moved several preventive steps, like road cleaning, water sprinkling, and restrictions on polluting buses, to Stage 2, ensuring an early preventive response before conditions worsen.

Neighbouring cities like Noida, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad also recorded AQI levels above 370, indicating the spread of the pollution crisis across the NCR region.

Meanwhile, amid heightened pollution and the recent Red Fort blast, Delhi remains on high alert, with security and environmental enforcement teams jointly monitoring compliance.