CAQM makes GRAP more stringent in Delhi-NCR amid worsening air quality

Stage IV restrictions moved to Stage III; office attendance cut to 50% and work-from-home advised

- MPOST BUREAU

NEW DELHI: Delhi's air quality remained lodged in the "very poor" category on Saturday, prompting authorities to advance several stringent restrictions under a revised Graded Response Action Plan in an effort to prevent conditions from sliding further into the "severe" band.

The Commission for Air Quality Management said a number of measures typically reserved for Stage IV of GRAP will now be enforced under Stage III, citing a Supreme Court observation on November 19 that urged proactive intervention following consultations with stakeholders to halt any further deterioration in the National Capital Region.

Delhi recorded an overall Air Quality Index of 360 at 9 am, according to Central Pollution Control Board readings, and by 10 am the 24-hour rolling average had risen slightly to 361. Both values fall in the "very poor" range and remain close to the threshold for "severe" pollution. Friday evening's AQI was 364. Forecasts from the Ministry of Earth Sciences' Air Quality Early Warning System indicated that pollution levels are expected to enter the “severe” zone and stay between "very poor" and "severe" for at least the next six days due to stagnant surface winds and winter inversion.