Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: GRAP 4 curbs invoked as air quality turns severe, AQI reaches...

The GRAP stage 4 curbs have been invoked in Delhi-NCR with immediate effect as air quality turns severe. Delhi’s average AQI rose to 399 at 9 PM on Monday and breached the 400 mark at 10 PM. Now, classes for students from VI to IX, and XI in the national capital, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Noida to run in hybrid mode. The decision to impose Stage 4 curbs came just hours after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) implemented restrictive measures under GRAP Stage 3, following Delhi's AQI breaching the 350 mark in the afternoon.

GRAP 4 entails a ban on all construction activities, on the entry of polluting trucks carrying non-essential goods into Delhi and mandatory shifting of school classes, except those for X and XII, to hybrid mode. According to the revised GRAP schedule, classes for students in grades VI-IX and XI in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar must operate in hybrid mode (physical and online) under Stage 4.

What's closed under GRAP 4?

Stage 4 also includes a ban on all construction and demolition activities, including public projects like highways, flyovers, power lines, and pipelines. Non-essential diesel trucks are prohibited from entering Delhi.
Public, municipal, and private offices must decide on allowing only 50 per cent of staff to work in offices, with the remaining staff working from home. States may consider additional measures like closing colleges, non-essential businesses and implementing odd-even vehicle restrictions.

Under Stage 3, imposed earlier in the day, the use of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars (4-wheelers) is restricted in Delhi and nearby NCR districts. Persons with disabilities are exempt. Stage 3 also bans non-essential diesel-operated medium goods vehicles with BS-IV or older standards in Delhi.

The Delhi and NCR state governments have been asked to stagger timings for public and municipal offices under Stage 3. The Centre may consider similar measures for its offices in Delhi-NCR.
During winters, Delhi enforces restrictions under GRAP, which categorises air quality into four stages – Stage I (Poor, AQI 201-300), Stage II (Very Poor, AQI 301-400), Stage III (Severe, AQI 401-450), and Stage IV (Severe Plus, AQI above 450). GRAP 4 was invoked in Delhi for the first time this season in November due to consistently high pollution levels in the city and adjoining areas.

(With inputs from PTI)