GRAP III Imposed in Delhi: What's Allowed, What's Not | Full List

New Delhi: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Thursday announced that stage III of the revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) will be enforced across the entire Delhi-NCR region beginning at 8 am on November 15.

The decision to implement GRAP III has been taken after the air quality in the national capital deteriorated on Wednesday. 

What is GRAP 3?

The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a set of measures implemented in Delhi and NCR to tackle air pollution. Stage 3 of GRAP is activated when the Air Quality Index (AQI) reaches ‘severe’ levels, introducing strict measures to control pollution.

Delhi’s air quality breached the ‘severe’ level on Wednesday as it got worsened by calm winds and lower temperatures.

Stage-III measures under GRAP involve actions such as halting construction work, shutting down brick kilns, and tightening restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles.

What is Restricted Under GRAP 3?

• Construction and demolition activities will be halted
• Non-essential mining activities to be suspended
• Non-electric, non-CNG, and non-BS-VI diesel interstate buses will face restrictions

Also, there is likely possibility that primary schools might be asked to shift to online classes, according to an official. 

“Water sprinkling on major roads will increase to reduce dust and pollutants,” they said. 

The national capital continued to choke with a thick layer of smog on Thursday, with the AQI recorded in the "severe" category for the second consecutive day this season.

According to the latest information updated at 8 am at AQICN, two areas in Delhi, crossed the 500 mark. ITI Jahangirpuri recorded an AQI of 581 the highest, while Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 521.

Meanwhile, several other areas like Narela, Punjabi Bagh, DITE Okhla, and Patparganj recorded the AQI over 400 mark.

This comes as the city's 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI), which was recorded at 4 pm every day, stood at 418, up from 334 the previous day, which can trigger stringent restrictions under the third stage of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to mitigate hazardous conditions.

Meanwhile, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), however, said owing to stronger winds, the pollutant concentration is expected to start showing a declining trend from Thursday onwards and the AQI is likely to move back to the "very poor" category.