India
Delhi AQI jumps to 244 and NCR starts GRAP Stage 1 as poor air persists
Pollution controls now impose wider daily limits across Delhi-NCR.
Pollution controls now impose wider daily limits across Delhi-NCR.
Delhi’s air quality worsened sharply, with the rising from 179 on October 20 to 244 by 2 p.m. the next day. This crossed the 201 to 300 range for . immediately imposed the first level of pollution controls across the . and forecasts indicated that poor air would continue in the following days.
The rules require construction sites to control dust. Municipal bodies must sweep roads, spray water and collect waste. Authorities must stop open burning and visibly polluting vehicles. Hotels and eateries cannot use coal or firewood in tandoors. Diesel generators are limited to essential and emergency services. , state agencies, municipal bodies, traffic authorities and pollution boards will enforce the rules. Higher levels trigger tougher stages: 301 to 400 brings Stage 2, 401 to 450 brings Stage 3, and above 450 brings Stage 4. The key question is whether these early steps can stop air quality from worsening.
The commission said it would review air quality and forecasts periodically after activating Stage 1. The initial response therefore remained tied to subsequent AQI readings, with the possibility of stronger GRAP measures if pollution moved into the higher threshold bands.
Stage 2 applies when the reaches 301 to 400, Stage 3 when it reaches 401 to 450, and when it exceeds 450. The successive bands allow authorities to escalate controls from broader emissions management to much more severe restrictions if pollution worsens.
’s order required all concerned agencies across the to implement, monitor, and review Stage 1 measures, without specifying every agency type in the event.
Stage 1 includes action against , including penalties or impounding where applicable. Traffic authorities and pollution-control agencies were responsible for roadside checks and related vehicle-emission enforcement.
Diesel generator sets were restricted under Stage 1, with exemptions for emergency and essential services specified in the plan. Enforcement falls to the relevant NCR agencies and local authorities overseeing commercial, institutional, and industrial premises.
The Stage 1 order prohibited coal and firewood as cooking fuel in at hotels, restaurants, and open eateries. The measure directs commercial kitchens toward electricity or approved cleaner fuels during the poor-air episode.
Stage 1 requires enforcement against the open burning of municipal, construction, and other waste. Local administrations and municipal bodies were expected to identify burning sites, stop the activity, and improve waste removal to prevent repeated emissions.
Authorities were instructed to increase mechanised road sweeping and water sprinkling to reduce . Municipal agencies were also required to ensure regular collection and scientific disposal of municipal and construction waste.
Stage 1 requires to strengthen dust suppression and comply with existing pollution-control rules. Sites that fail to control emissions can face enforcement action under the NCR response framework.
Forecasts from the and the indicated that Delhi’s AQI was likely to remain in the poor category. CAQM said it would continue monitoring the situation and review the measures as conditions changed.
The revised GRAP schedule defines Stage 1 as the response to poor air quality, with an AQI from 201 to 300. Higher readings trigger progressively stronger stages, linking the restrictions to measured pollution levels rather than a fixed calendar date.
The invoked all Stage 1 measures across the National Capital Region. The order took effect immediately after the AQI deterioration and required NCR authorities to intensify pollution-control actions.
Delhi’s AQI climbed from 179 on October 20 to 244 at 2 pm on October 21. The reading moved into the and crossed the threshold for the first stage of the Graded Response Action Plan.
Delhi’s air quality was recorded at 179, in the moderate category, on October 20. By the following afternoon, the reading had risen sharply, creating the immediate trigger for the first response of the season.