Government Activates 27-Point Anti-Pollution Plan Under Stage I of GRAP Across NCR as Air Quality Dips to ‘Poor’
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | SDG 13: Climate Action
Institutions: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
With Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 211 (‘Poor’) on 14 October 2025, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has activated Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the entire National Capital Region (NCR) to prevent further deterioration. The decision, taken by the CAQM Sub-Committee on GRAP, mandates a 27-point action plan for enforcement by all pollution-control agencies and local bodies.
The measures include stricter controls on construction dust, waste disposal, and open burning, mandatory anti-smog guns at large sites, and mechanised road-cleaning and water sprinkling. Traffic police have been directed to manage congestion zones actively, while authorities must penalise visibly polluting and overaged vehicles, ensure compliance with emission norms, and ban coal or firewood in hotel tandoors and open eateries.
Citizens have been urged to cooperate by maintaining vehicles, reducing idling, using public or electric transport, and reporting violations through 311, Green Delhi, and SAMEER apps. Power utilities have been asked to minimise outages to reduce diesel-generator use. The CAQM will review air quality continuously and escalate measures if pollution worsens.
The invocation of Stage I signals the onset of winter pollution season in Delhi-NCR. Effective coordination among municipal bodies, transport authorities, and power utilities will determine the plan’s success. Moving forward, policymakers must prioritise dust-free construction norms, electric-vehicle transition, and waste-to-energy expansion to reduce seasonal recurrences. Strengthening citizen-reporting apps and enforcement transparency can help convert reactive controls into preventive air-quality governance.
What is the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)?
GRAP is a four-stage pollution-control framework for Delhi-NCR that activates progressively stricter actions as air quality declines—from Stage I (Poor) to Stage IV (Severe +). It was notified by the CAQM to ensure coordinated, pre-emptive responses by multiple agencies.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How can Delhi-NCR transform episodic emergency measures like GRAP into a sustained, year-round clean-air management system?
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