New Delhi, 21 October 2026: The air quality in Delhi and its surrounding National Capital Region (NCR) is continuously deteriorating. As the level of air pollution reached the “poor” category, the first phase of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-1) has been implemented by the Air Quality Management Commission with immediate effect. Generally, this step is taken when the Air Quality Index (AQI) crosses 200 in Delhi. This decision was taken by the system which recorded Delhi's AQI at 244 on Wednesday afternoon, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board.
With the implementation of Grape-1, many strict restrictions have been imposed in the entire area. Under this, there is a complete ban on the use of coal and wood in hotels and restaurants. Apart from this, the police and traffic department will keep a strict vigil on the operation of old vehicles like BS-3 petrol and BS-4 diesel. Use of diesel generator sets as a regular source of power supply has been banned and instructions have been given to strictly check the PUC standards for vehicles.
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Machine cleaning and water sprinkling will continue on the roads.
Special measures have been ordered to prevent dust from construction and demolition activities. Under which construction projects larger than 500 square meters which are not registered on the relevant web portal will not be allowed to operate. Furthermore, municipal solid waste and hazardous waste will have to be regularly removed from dumping sites and open dumping is prohibited. Machine cleaning and water sprinkling will continue on the roads.
On the other hand, the administration has also appealed to the citizens to cooperate in preventing air pollution. People have been asked to keep vehicle engines properly tuned, maintain tire air pressure, stop engines at red stops and use electric or hybrid vehicles as much as possible. Also, it has been requested not to drive vehicles older than 10 to 15 years, not to burn garbage in the open, to plant more trees, to celebrate festivals without firecrackers and to report pollution causing activities on '311' or 'Green Delhi' app.