CAQM Sub-Committee Revokes Stage-III of GRAP in NCR Due to Improvement in AQI Levels.
New Delhi:
In a significant development, the Sub-Committee on Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) has decided to revoke Stage-III of the existing GRAP schedule for the entire National Capital Region (NCR), with immediate effect. This decision follows a marked improvement in the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi.
On 15 January 2025, when Delhi’s AQI breached the 350 mark and showed an upward trend towards potentially reaching the 400 level, the Sub-Committee had invoked Stage-III and Stage-IV of GRAP. However, as the AQI of Delhi improved to 302 on 16 January 2025, Stage-IV was revoked. Despite this, Stage-III remained in place as a precaution due to uncertainties in weather predictions and fluctuations in meteorological conditions.
Today, the AQI of Delhi showed further improvement, registering a level of 289, categorizing the air quality as “Very Poor” but indicating a downward trend. In response to this positive development, the CAQM Sub-Committee convened to review the situation and considered forecasts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), which predicted that the AQI would remain in the lower end of the “Very Poor” category in the coming days.
After reviewing the situation, the Sub-Committee unanimously decided to revoke all actions under Stage-III of GRAP for the entire NCR, effective immediately. However, actions under Stage-II and Stage-I will remain in force. These measures will continue to be monitored and intensified by the concerned agencies in order to prevent the need for re-implementation of Stage-III.
The Sub-Committee also issued a directive that construction and demolition project sites, which had previously received closure orders for violating various guidelines, shall not resume operations without specific orders from the Commission.
Although Stage-III restrictions have been lifted, the Sub-Committee urged citizens to adhere to the citizen charter to ensure AQI levels do not worsen, especially during the winter season when weather conditions can be unpredictable.
The CAQM Sub-Committee will continue to closely monitor air quality in the region and will review the situation regularly, taking further actions as necessary based on air quality trends and meteorological forecasts.
For further updates, the revised GRAP schedule is available on the Commission’s official website at https://caqm.nic.in/.
