Delhi breathes easy: GRAP-3 restrictions lifted amid sharp dip in pollution. Here's what allowed

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on December 2 revoked all restrictions imposed under Stage-3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), citing a sharp improvement in air quality levels. The decision came into effect immediately. 

According to official data, the Air Quality Index (AQI) fell from 380 on Thursday to 236 by 4 pm on Friday, moving the region out of the ‘severe’ category. The improvement prompted a review meeting of the CAQM’s Sub-Committee on GRAP, following which the panel decided that emergency Stage-3 measures were no longer warranted, an official told PTI. 

While Stage-3 curbs have been lifted, actions under Stage-1 and Stage-2 will continue across the NCR to prevent a reversal in air quality gains. 

What is GRAP and how it works 

The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is a pre-defined framework designed to combat air pollution in Delhi-NCR through a series of escalating measures linked to daily AQI levels and short-term forecasts. As pollution worsens, stricter controls are automatically triggered. 

Under Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) standards, AQI levels are classified as: 

• 0-50: Good 
• 51-100: Satisfactory 
• 101-200: Moderate 
• 201-300: Poor 
• 301-400: Very Poor 
• 401-500: Severe 

Each GRAP stage builds on the previous one, meaning that once a higher stage is activated, measures from all lower stages remain in force. 

Stage-3 curbs & what their withdrawal means 

Stage-3 of GRAP is imposed when air quality enters or is forecast to enter the ‘severe’ category. It involves a nine-point emergency action plan aimed at rapidly cutting emissions from major pollution sources. Enforcement is carried out by state pollution control boards, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, and local authorities across NCR. 

Key Stage-3 measures typically include: 

• Halting or restricting construction and demolition activities that generate dust 
• Tightening controls on vehicle movement, especially heavy and high-emission vehicles 
• Regulating polluting industrial operations 
• Intensified on-ground monitoring and enforcement 

The revocation of Stage-3 indicates that air quality has improved sufficiently to step back from emergency-level interventions. However, authorities remain cautious, keeping lower-stage measures in place to stabilise conditions. 

What Stage-1 & Stage-2 measures require 

Under Stage-II, additional traffic and dust-control measures apply. These include staggering office timings for public and municipal bodies in Delhi and select NCR districts, considering similar measures for central government offices, daily sprinkling of water and dust suppressants on roads, and higher parking fees to discourage private vehicle use.

Stage-I actions continue to focus on preventive and awareness-based steps. CAQM has directed agencies to ensure uninterrupted power supply to avoid diesel generator use, synchronise traffic movement to reduce congestion, issue public advisories on pollution, and boost public transport availability through additional CNG and electric buses and enhanced metro services.