The Commission for Air Quality Management has reimposed the revised third phase of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in the Delhi-NCR region following the sharp rise in air pollution. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the air quality in the national capital has entered the very poor category with an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 394 as of 7 PM. Some areas of the city have breached the 400 AQI mark. The AQI at Delhi’s Anand Vihar was recorded at 455, Punjabi Bagh at 441, Nehru Nagar at 440, Wazirpur at 440, and Vivek Vihar at 437.

The Air Quality Index of Delhi has crossed the 350 mark and is showing an increasing trend. The Sub-Committee for GRAP held a meeting today and comprehensively reviewed the air quality scenario in the region. The Commission for Air Quality Management highlighted that the air quality is worsening due to extremely calm wind conditions and the buildup of an inversion layer, which is adversely affecting the vertical mixing height. In an effort to prevent further deterioration of the air quality, the subcommittee decided that all actions as envisaged under Stage III of GRAP be implemented with immediate effect in earnest by all agencies across the entire NCR. This will be in addition to the actions under Stages I and II of the revised GRAP schedule already in force.