Delhi AQI turns 'severe': GRAP Stage III reimposed across NCR; what's allowed & what's not

NEW DELHI: Delhi slipped back into the ‘severe’ air quality zone as pollution levels surged on Saturday, prompting authorities to reimpose Stage III restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the National Capital Region (NCR).

According to an official press update, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI), which stood at 349 at 4 pm on Friday, rose sharply through the night and was recorded at 401 by 10 am on Saturday due to slow wind speeds, a stable atmosphere and unfavourable meteorological conditions, leading to poor dispersion of pollutants.



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In response, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said its GRAP sub-committee had decided to invoke all measures under Stage III (‘Severe’ AQI: 401–450) with immediate effect across the NCR. These steps will be in addition to the curbs already in place under Stages I and II. Pollution control boards and enforcement agencies have also been directed to intensify preventive action to check further deterioration.

A thick blanket of smog shrouded the capital on Saturday morning, reducing visibility and worsening discomfort.

What’s banned under GRAP 3:

• Non-essential construction and demolition: earthwork, piling, open trenching, welding, painting, plastering, tile/flooring work, RMC plants.
• Transportation of construction materials like cement, sand, and fly-ash on unpaved roads.
• Stone crushers, brick kilns, and mining activities.
• BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers; non-essential diesel-powered medium goods vehicles; inter-state diesel buses not running on CNG, electricity, or BS-VI standards.
• Industries using unapproved fuels.

What’s allowed / exempted under GRAP 3:

• Essential infrastructure and public service projects: metro, railway, airport, highway, defence, healthcare, sanitation projects.
• Construction work for critical projects with strict dust control and waste management.
• Persons with disabilities using exempted vehicles.
• Use of public transport and hybrid/online school classes up to Grade 5.

Wazirpur recorded the worst air quality with an AQI of 445, followed by Vivek Vihar (444), Jahangirpuri (442), Anand Vihar (439) and Ashok Vihar and Rohini (437 each). Other severely polluted areas included Narela (432), Pratapganj (431), Mundka (430) and Bawana, ITO and Nehru Nagar (429 each). AQI readings also crossed 420 in Chandni Chowk, Punjabi Bagh, Siri Fort and Sonia Vihar, while Burari Crossing, RK Puram, North Campus and Okhla Phase II remained deep in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ range.

Under CPCB norms, an AQI between 401 and 500 is classified as ‘severe’, posing serious health risks and warranting emergency control measures.

Poor air quality was not limited to Delhi alone. Several parts of Uttar Pradesh also woke up to dense smog on Saturday. Noida Sector 125 and Sector 116 reported ‘severe’ air with AQI readings of 448 each. Lucknow fared slightly better with an AQI of 242 (‘poor’), while Kanpur and Prayagraj recorded ‘moderate’ levels and Moradabad remained in the ‘poor’ category. Thick fog and smog reduced visibility in cities such as Bulandshahr, Ayodhya and Mainpuri, where residents were seen lighting bonfires to cope with the cold and haze.

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