Delhi's air quality drops to 'very poor' ahead of Diwali, GRAP Stage-II curbs imposed; AQI crosses 300

Delhi-NCR’s air quality deteriorated to ‘Very Poor’ just a day before Diwali, prompting authorities to impose Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Phase-II curbs across the region on Sunday, October 19. According to an order issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the sub-committee on GRAP held a meeting to review the air quality region in the scenario on Sunday (Oc). “The AQI of Delhi has shown an increasing trend since morning and was recorded as 296 at 4 pm and 302 at 7 pm. The forecast by IMD/IITM also predicts further deterioration of AQI in the coming days,” the order said. It urged the authorities to “invoke all actions under Phase-II (‘Very Poor Air Quality)’ of the existing GRAP in the entire NKR, with immediate effect, in addition to the Phase-I actions already in force.” The CAQM introduced GRAP Phase I on 14 October. The action was taken after the AQI in the region fell to 211, categorizing it as ‘weak’, according to a statement released by the Commission.