CAQM invokes GRAP-2 in Delhi-NCR as air quality hits very poor
The Commission for Air Quality Management implemented stage two emergency measures after the Air Quality Index reached 324 in the national capital.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Monday implemented Stage 2 measures of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR with immediate effect. This follows the air quality slipping into the 'very poor' category for the first time this season, according to The New Indian Express.
The CAQM stated that Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) rose from 117, which was 'moderate', on October 31 to 261, classified as 'poor', on November 1. By November 2, the index increased to 324, falling into the 'very poor' category due to unfavourable meteorological conditions.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology have predicted that Delhi's air quality will probably stay in the 'very poor' category for the next few days. The Air Quality Early Warning System had previously suggested that pollution would likely range between 'very poor' and 'poor' until November 10.
GRAP is a system of emergency steps triggered at specific pollution thresholds. Stage 1 is activated when the AQI is between 201 and 300, while Stage 2 is invoked when the index falls between 301 and 400.
In September, the CAQM updated the framework to extend certain restrictions on specific light motor vehicles to Sonipat in Haryana under GRAP-3. Previously, these rules applied only to Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar.