Delhi AQI Today: City reels under thick blanket of smog for third consecutive day, AQI still ‘severe’ in parts of Capital

Stage III GRAP imposed

In order to tackle with the rising air pollution, Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has been imposed by the Commission for Air Quality Management in Delhi-NCR and its adjoining areas (CAQM). As part of GRAP Stage III, emergency response measures such as discontinuing physical classes for primary school students in entire Delhi-NCR, and curbing construction have been put in place.

The GRAP for Delhi-NCR is divided into four stages of air quality — Stage 1 for “poor” Air Quality Index (AQI) ranging between 201 and 300, Stage 2 for “very poor” AQI of 301-400, Stage 3 for “severe” AQI of 401-450 and Stage 4 for “severe plus” AQI (more than 450).

Supreme Court seen amid dense smog in New Delhi (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)

As part of the measures, the Delhi government has ordered online, instead of the regular ones, in the Capital. All schools have been ordered to be shut on Saturday as well.

Apart from that, all highly dust-generating construction and demolition activities except for certain projects related to defence, Metro, railways, airport and healthcare facilities, are banned.

A ban on running BS III petrol and BS IV diesel-operated four-wheelers will be imposed in Delhi and the districts of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar.

Inter-State buses from NCR states other than EVs/CNG/BS-VI diesel, cannot enter Delhi, barring those that have an All India Tourist Permit. Mining activities and stone crushers in Delhi as well as NCR will have to stop all activities.

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