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It has been a week of lethal breaths for Delhi. Authorities in Delhi and the National Capital Region (Delhi-NCR) invoked the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-IV on December 13, 2025, as air quality worsened to hazardous levels.
The decision was prompted after the national capital’s daily average air quality index clocked 441.
The GRAP framework was approved by the Supreme Court in 2016, and its implementation has since been overseen by the Commission for Air Quality Management. Governments in Delhi-NCR must act in accordance with the GRAP mechanism as air pollution levels rise through various stages.
A host of measures are being taken by the Delhi-NCR administrations under GRAP-IV. These include a ban on the entry of BS-IV trucks into Delhi, except for those carrying essential commodities or providing essential services.
Construction and demolition activities have also been banned. Students of Classes VI to IX and Class XI in Delhi and NCR areas are attending classes in hybrid mode. And public, municipal, and private offices are functioning at 50 per cent capacity, with the remaining staff working from home.