Graded Response Action Plan

4-Dec-2022: Stage III of revised Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) invoked in Delhi-NCR with immediate effect

In view of the significant deterioration in air quality of Delhi-NCR in last 24 hours, the Sub-Committee for invoking actions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas (CAQM) held an emergency meeting today. Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) crossed the 407 mark today at 16:00 hours, which is likely to be a localized influence.

The Commission comprehensively reviewed the ongoing restrictive/ preventive actions implemented under Stage I and Stage II of the GRAP along with the impact of revocation of actions under Stage III on the overall air quality of the Delhi-NCR since 14.11.2022. While meticulously reviewing the overall air quality parameters, the Sub-Committee during the meeting noted that due to sudden unfavorable meteorological conditions, it is considered necessary to re-implement Stage III of GRAP with immediate effect in the entire NCR as a pre-emptive measure to prevent further deterioration of air quality in the region.

As per the dynamic model and weather/ meteorological forecast, this sudden spike is possibly due to localized factors therefore in an effort to steer clear of further deterioration of air quality and to maintain the AQI of Delhi, the call to re-invoke all actions as envisaged under Stage III of the GRAP – ‘Severe’ Air Quality (DELHI AQI ranging between 401–450) has been taken by the Sub-Committee. This is in addition to the preventive/ restrictive actions mentioned in Stage I and Stage II of the GRAP.

Accordingly, a 9-point action plan as per Stage III of GRAP is applicable with immediate effect from today in the entire NCR in addition to preventive/ restrictive actions of Stage I and Stage II of the GRAP which are already in place. This 9-point action plan includes steps to be implemented/ ensured by different agencies and PCBs of NCR and DPCC. These steps are:

Intensified frequency of mechanised/ vacuum-based sweeping of roads.
Daily water sprinkling along with use of dust suppressants, before peak traffic hours, on roads and right of ways including hotspots, heavy traffic corridors and proper disposal of the collected dust in designated sites/ landfills.
Intensification of public transport services. Introduce differential rates to encourage off-peak travel.
Construction & Demolition (C&D) Activities:
1. Enforce strict ban on construction and demolition activities in the entire NCR, except for the following categories of projects:
  1. Railway services / Railway stations
  2. Metro Rail Services including stations.
  3. Airports and Inter State Bus Terminals.
  4. National security/ defence related activities/ projects of national importance.
  5. Hospitals/ health care facilities.
  6. Linear public projects such as highways, roads, flyovers, over bridges, power transmission, pipelines etc.
  7. Sanitation projects like sewage treatment plants and water supply projects etc.
  8. Ancillary activities specific to and supplementing above categories of projects.

Note: The above exemptions shall be further subject to strict compliance of the C&D Waste Management Rules, dust prevention/ control norms including compliance with the directions of the Commission issued from time to time in this regard.

Other than the projects exempted under (i) above, dust generating/ air pollution causing C&D activities to be strictly banned during this period shall include:
- Earthwork for excavation and filling including boring & drilling works.
- All structural construction works including fabrication and welding operations.
- Demolition works.
- Loading & unloading of construction materials anywhere within or outside the project sites.
- Transfer of raw materials either manually or through conveyor belts, including fly ash.
- Movement of vehicles on unpaved roads.
- Operation of batching plant.
- Laying of sewer line, waterline, drainage work and electric cabling by open trench system.
- Cutting and fixing of tiles, stones and other flooring materials.
- Grinding activities.
- Piling work.
- Water Proofing work.
- Road construction/ repair works including paving of sidewalks / pathways and central verges etc.
For all construction projects in NCR, non-polluting / non-dust generating activities such as plumbing works, interior decoration, electrical works and carpentry related works shall be permitted to be continued.

Industrial operations
1. For industrial areas having PNG infrastructure and supply: Strictly enforce closure / ban on such industries/ operations not running on fuels as in the standard list of approved fuels for NCR.
2. For industrial areas not having PNG infrastructure and supply: Regulate operations of such industries not using any of the fuels as per the standard list of approved fuels for NCR, to operate only for maximum 5 days a week as under (till 31.12.2022):
  1. Paper and pulp processing, distilleries and captive thermal power plants – to remain inoperative on Saturdays and Sundays.
  2. Paddy / rice processing units – to remain inoperative on Mondays and Tuesdays.
  3. Textile/ garments and apparels including dyeing processes – to remain inoperative on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
  4. Other industries not falling in the above noted categories – to remain inoperative on Fridays and Saturdays.
3. With effect from 01.01.2023, strictly enforce closure/ ban in the entire NCR, on such industries/ operations not running on fuels, as in the standard list of approved fuels for NCR. Note: Milk & dairy units and those involved in manufacturing of life saving medical equipments / devices, drugs and medicines shall, however be exempted from the above restrictions.
Close brick kilns, hot mix plants which are not operating on fuels, as in the standard list of approved fuels for NCR.
Close down operations of stone crushers.
Ban / Close down mining and associated activities in the NCR.
State Governments in NCR/ GNCTD may impose restrictions on BS III petrol and BS IV diesel LMVs (4 wheelers).

Moreover, the Commission appeals to the citizens of NCR to cooperate in implementing GRAP and follow the steps mentioned in the Citizen Charter under GRAP. Citizens are advised to:

Choose a cleaner commute - share a ride to work or use public transport or walk or cycle.
People, whose positions allow working from home, may work from home.
Do not use coal and wood for heating purpose.
Individual house owners may provide electric heaters (during winters) to security staff to avoid open burning.
Combine errands and reduce trips. Walk to errands wherever possible.

Various agencies responsible for implementing measures under GRAP and Pollution Control Boards (PCBs) of NCR and DPCC have also been advised to ensure strict implementation of actions under Stage III and reinforce actions under Stage I and Stage II of the GRAP during this period.

Further, the Commission is closely watching the situation and will review the air quality scenario accordingly. The revised schedule of the GRAP is available on the Commission’s official website and can be accessed via caqm.nic.in

18-Nov-2022: Stage I and II of GRAP continue to be in force

The Sub-Committee for invoking actions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) held a meeting today to review the progress of the actions implemented under Stage II along with Stage I of the GRAP in the entire NCR.

As per the dynamic model and weather/ meteorological forecast provided by IMD/ IITM, the overall air quality is likely to fluctuate largely between ‘Poor’ to lower end of ‘Very Poor’ categories in the next few days. The predominant surface wind is predicted to be coming from the North/ North-West direction in Delhi.

Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) clocked at 289 today as per the 4 PM CPCB Bulletin. Despite a slight dip in the overall air quality of Delhi with IMD/ IITM forecasts not predicting any major deterioration of air quality in the coming days, the Sub-Committee, after comprehensively reviewing the air quality scenario and relevant aspects has taken the decision that ongoing actions under Stage II of the GRAP along with Stage I shall continue and there does not seem a need to invoke Stage III of GRAP at this stage.

The GRAP Sub-Committee of the Commission is closely watching the situation and will review the air quality scenario accordingly.

14-Nov-2022: Stage III of the GRAP REVOKED in entire NCR with immediate effect

In view of improvement in the overall air quality of the Delhi-NCR seen in the past few days with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi clocking at 294 today as per the 4PM AQI Bulletin provided by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Sub-Committee for invoking actions under Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas (CAQM) held a meeting today to review the situation and take the appropriate call on the actions under Stage III of GRAP which was in place in the entire National Capital Region w.e.f. 29.10.2022. While comprehensively reviewing the overall air quality parameters of Delhi-NCR, the Commission noted that due to forecast by IMD/ IITM not indicating any steep degradation in the overall air quality of Delhi-NCR in the next few days with AQI likely to stay in the ‘Poor’ category, it is advisable to relax the restrictions and further roll back Stage III of the GRAP with immediate effect in the entire NCR.

The GRAP Sub-Committee in its earlier meetings had invoked actions under Stage I, Stage II, Stage III and Stage IV of the GRAP in the entire NCR on 05.10.2022, 19.10.2022, 29.10.2022 and 03.11.2022 respectively. Further, Sub-Committee in its review meeting held on 06.11.2022, revoked the actions under Stage IV (‘Severe+’ Air Quality) of GRAP after considering the improvement in air quality of Delhi and AQI forecast of subsequent days. The Sub-Committee in its today’s meeting further reviewed the air quality scenario in the region as well as the IMD/IITM forecasts for meteorological conditions and air quality index of Delhi and observed as under:

Overall AQI of Delhi has been progressively improving from the levels of 346 (‘Very Poor’ Air Quality) recorded on 11.11.2022 to 294 (‘Poor’ Air Quality) clocked on 14th November, 2022, which is about 100 AQI points below the threshold for invoking the GRAP Stage III actions (Delhi AQI 400-450) and preventive/ mitigative/ restrictive actions under all Stages up to Stage III are underway, there is a likelihood of sustaining the improvement in AQI. The forecast by IMD/ IITM also do not indicate any steep degradation

Further, actions under Stages I to Stage II of the GRAP shall however remain invoked and be implemented, monitored and reviewed by all agencies concerned in the entire NCR to ensure that the AQI levels do not slip further to the ‘Severe’ category. All implementing agencies shall keep strict vigil and especially intensify measures under Stage I & II of GRAP which include the following:

Mechanical/vacuum-based sweeping of roads to be carried out on a daily basis.
Ensure water sprinkling along with use of dust suppressants regularly on roads to arrest road dust especially at hotspots, heavy traffic corridors, vulnerable areas (before peak hours) and proper disposal of dust collected in designated sites/landfills.
Regular inspection and strict enforcement of dust control measures at Construction & Demolition (C&D) sites and enforcement of direction on use of Ani-Smog guns.
Do not allow coal / firewood including in Tandoors in Hotels, Restaurants and open eateries.
Ensure hotels, restaurants and open eateries use only electricity/ clean fuel gas-based appliances
Enhance Parking fees to discourage private transport
Regulated use of DG Sets except for the emergent and essential services.

C&D project sites and industrial units which have been issued specific closure orders on account of violations/ non-compliances of various statutory directions, rules, guidelines etc. under no circumstances shall resume their operations without any specific order to this effect from the Commission.

Further, the Commission has once again appealed to the citizens of NCR to cooperate in implementing GRAP and follow the steps mentioned in the Citizen Charter under the GRAP. Citizens are advised to:

Use public transport and minimize use of personal vehicles.
Regularly replace air filters at recommended intervals in your automobiles.
Avoid dust generating construction activities

The sub-Committee, shall be keeping a close watch on the air quality scenario and considering the likelihood of low wind speeds after a few days, will review the situation on 18.11.2022 for further appropriate decision depending upon the air quality in Delhi and forecast made by IMD/IITM.

The revised schedule of GRAP is available on the Commission’s website and can be accessed via caqm.nic.in

11-Nov-2022: Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan continues to be in force

The Air Quality Index (AQI) has been showing an increasing trend for the last two days in the Delhi-NCR. Wind conditions have not been very favourable and accordingly dispersion of air pollutants has not been very effective.

Considering the significant spike in Delhi’s overall AQI from 260 to 346 in the last two days, north-westerly wind flow conducive to increase the impact of farm fires on the AQI of Delhi and the need to continue with the steps to prevent deterioration of air quality, the Sub-Committee of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) for invoking actions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), after comprehensively reviewing the air quality scenario and relevant aspects has taken the decision that ongoing actions implemented under Stage III of the GRAP shall continue and it should not be withdrawn at this stage.

The Sub-Committee is closely watching the situation and will review the air quality scenario on a regular basis.