With Delhi’s air quality deteriorating to the ‘poor’ category, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked Stage I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the entire National Capital Region (NCR), triggering a 25-point action plan to prevent pollution levels from worsening.

The decision was taken on Wednesday, October 21, after Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) rose sharply from 179 in the ‘moderate’ category on October 20 to 244 at 2 pm on October 21. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast that air quality would remain in the ‘poor’ category over the coming days.

The measures place emphasis on dust suppression, vehicular emissions checks, industrial compliance, waste management, and the use of technology to monitor pollution and respond to public complaints. Authorities across NCR have been directed to implement the measures immediately and maintain strict vigilance.

The action plan calls for the use of mobile applications to inform people about pollution levels and provide control-room contact details so they can report polluting activities. Authorities have also been directed to act promptly on complaints received through the 311 App, Green Delhi App, SAMEER App and other applications and social media platforms.