The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked Stage-I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) as Delhi’s AQI hit 211 on Tuesday.
Forecasts from the IMD and IITM indicate stagnant weather conditions likely to sustain poor air quality levels in the coming days.
Municipal bodies and pollution boards in Delhi and adjoining NCR districts of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab have been directed to implement curbs immediately.
Signalling the onset of the capital’s annual pollution season, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) — the Centre’s anti-pollution authority — has activated Stage-I measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).
The decision came on Tuesday after Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) touched 211, falling in the “Poor” category. During a review meeting, the GRAP Sub-Committee examined real-time data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) along with forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).
“The AQI has reached the ‘Poor’ range, and forecasts suggest it will remain there in the coming days due to stagnant weather conditions,” the committee stated. This marks the season’s first formal implementation of GRAP measures.
Under Stage-I (Poor Air Quality, AQI between 201 and 300), multiple enforcement steps are to be undertaken by district administrations, pollution control boards, and municipal authorities across Delhi and NCR districts in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Punjab.
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