Delhi pollution: AQI falls in the midst of heavy fog, triggering GRAP 3

The commission stated that Delhi and the national capital region will also be subject to Stage I and II restrictions in addition to the Stage III restrictions.

In response to rising air pollution and falling trends in the air quality index (AQI), the Commission of Air Quality Management (CAQM) in Delhi-NCR on Thursday activated the Stage III limitations under the anti-pollution Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The Commission stated that it was using the Stage-3 restrictions in compliance with the Supreme Court's orders to implement GRAP measures because "Due to calm winds and foggy conditions, the AQI of Delhi, which was recorded as 297 on January 8, exhibited a sharp increasing trend and has been recorded 357 at 4 pm on January 9."

The panel added that authorities will continue to monitor and review the AQI values throughout the entire Delhi and national capital region (NCR), and that the restrictions under Stages 1 and II of the new GRAP will remain in effect.

According to the CAQM notice, "Citizens are requested to strictly adhere to the citizen charter under GRAP Stage-III,"

Due to the ongoing cold wave conditions in the city, residents of the national capital shivered as they awoke to shallow fog on Thursday. According to the India Meteorological Department's forecast, the minimum temperature was five degrees Celsius, while the maximum is expected to reach 21 degrees.

Since the AQI readings in Delhi-NCR were steadily rising, the CAQM lifted the Stage III restrictions on January 5.

Guidelines for GRAP-3 requirements
The following actions are mandated by the Graded Response Action Plan's Stage III:

• Prohibition of private construction and demolition
• Class 5 schools will switch to a hybrid learning environment.
• It is forbidden to use BS-III gasoline and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers.
• Medium-sized cargo vehicles powered by non-essential BS-IV diesel are not allowed.

Notably, the Supreme Court ordered the CAQM to implement Stage IV limits if the air quality exceeded the 400 level on any given day and Stage III measures if the AQI above the 350 mark in December.

AQI is classified by the Central Pollution Control Board as "good" if it is between 0 and 50, "satisfactory" if it is between 51 and 100, "moderate" if it is between 101 and 200, "poor" if it is between 201 and 300, "very poor" if it is between 301 and 400, and "severe" if it is beyond 400.