GRAP-3 in force in Delhi-NCR as air quality turns ‘severe’

Delhi is enforcing Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), as its air quality recently turned ‘severe’. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) imposed GRAP-3 after Delhi’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) rose to 425.

GRAP is a framework designed to tackle air pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This is done through a system of measures based on the severity of air quality.

Specific actions are to be undertaken under each stage of GRAP, which are decided on the basis of pollution levels. Stage 1 is enforced when the AQI ranges from 201-300. Stage 2 is when it is from 301-400. Stage 3, currently being enforced, is when the AQI is from 401-450. Lastly, Stage 4 is when the AQI goes above 450.

Under Stage 3, the plying of BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel four-wheelers in Delhi and neighbouring NCR districts is prohibited. Here, the traffic police deployed barricades, restricted diesel vehicles, and intensified checks on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border upon GRAP-3 being imposed.