The story so far: As the air quality of Delhi worsened to the ‘poor’ category in the national capital, the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and adjoining areas (CAQM) on Wednesday (October 21, 2026) announced Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to bring down the pollution.
Every winter, air pollution spikes in Delhi-NCR and many parts of the larger Indo-Gangetic Plains, mainly due to meteorological factors such as lower wind speeds and a drop in temperature. Also, pollution from stubble burning during October and November, and bursting of firecrackers during the festive season add to existing pollution from vehicles and dust, worsening the air quality.
What is GRAP?
The GRAP or Graded Response Action Plan, is a set of short-term emergency measures to reduce air pollution and is divided into four stages. The CAQM announces the different stages, depending on the level of pollution recorded or forecast for the near future.
Whenever the CAQM announces GRAP, it directs State governments to implement the restrictions with “immediate effect” in entire Delhi and also in the NCR districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The restrictions will come into effect on the ground when respective State governments pass orders to implement them.
As per law, the State governments are bound to implement directions of the CAQM and the Commission can initiate legal action against officers not following its directions.
The GRAP was first notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in January, 2017, pursuant to Supreme Court directions to provide for graded measures corresponding to different levels of air quality.
Initially, the GRAP was implemented by the EPCA (Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority), which was formed in 1998 by the Supreme Court and was responsible for the management and coordination on air pollution in Delhi and the NCR.
But the EPCA was not backed by a statute and experts had raised the issue that it lacked the teeth to act against authorities which did not follow its orders.
In 2021, the CAQM replaced the EPCA and since then it has been implementing the GRAP. Over the years, at times after coming under attack of the Supreme Court, the GRAP has gone through multiple revisions, making it more stringent.
What now?
Most of the actions under Stage 1 are directing authorities to strictly implement existing norms related to air pollution.
The four stages of GRAP are: Stage I – ‘Poor’ Air Quality (Delhi AQI ranging between 201-300), Stage II – ‘Very Poor’ Air Quality (Delhi AQI ranging between 301-400), Stage III – ‘Severe’ Air Quality (Delhi AQI ranging between 401-450), Stage IV – ‘Severe +’ Air Quality (Delhi AQI > 450).
A higher AQI indicates worsening of air quality.
Though the GRAP can be imposed any time during the year, the higher stages of GRAP are mostly invoked during winter as air quality deteriorates.
Under GRAP 1, the CAQM has directed Delhi and its neighbouring States to ensure that diesel generator sets are not used as a regular source of power supply, among other measures.
It’s under Stage III and Stage IV of the GRAP that more severe actions kick in.
For instance, under Stage III, the CAQM announces a ban on construction and demolition activities in Delhi-NCR and a ban on plying of BS III petrol and BS IV or below emission standard diesel Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) or cars in Delhi and in the High Vehicle Density (HVD) districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budha Nagar.
Similarly, under Stage IV, the ban on construction becomes even more severe with fewer exemptions, and there is a ban on entry of trucks into Delhi, except for trucks that are BS-VI, electric, CNG, and LNG. Other measures are also taken.
Does GRAP actually help?
The GRAP aims to cut down the sources of pollution for a short time when the air pollution is very high, so that the air quality improves, but it is not a long-term strategy.
According to an analysis released on Thursday (October 22, 2026) by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a Finland-based non-profit research organisation, there has been “no consistent” improvement in Delhi’s winter air quality over the past four years, despite the imposition of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
“Delhi’s winter AQI (Air Quality Index) has fluctuated over the past four years, with no consistent improvement. The mean AQI rose from 280 in winter 2022–23 to 304 in 2023–24, fell to 285 in 2024–25 and increased again to 295 in 2025–26. The median AQI followed a similar pattern, rising from 294 to 324, falling to 289 and then increasing to 305,” CREA said in a statement.
Delhi’s winter air quality has not followed a consistent downward trend since the 2022 revision of GRAP, and the mean and median AQI for the latest winter were both higher than in 2022–23, said Manoj Kumar, an analyst at CREA.
What is different this winter?
In addition to GRAP, the Delhi government in June this year issued a gazette notification of a set of restrictions for winter months. But unlike GRAP, these restrictions will come into play irrespective of the air quality at a particular time.
For instance, as per the June 23 notification, from November 1 to January 31, there will be a ban on the plying of all non-Delhi-registered motor vehicles below BSVI emission standards in the national capital. However, electric, CNG, and emergency and sovereign duty vehicles are exempted from it.
Similarly, as per the notification, from November 1 to February 28, existing parking charges at authorised parking sites will be doubled to discourage use of private vehicles, except for parking spaces owned and managed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
But if there is any conflict between the GRAP orders and the June 23 notification by the Delhi government, the GRAP will take precedence.
With the additional restrictions imposed by the Delhi government, this winter is set to see one of the highest levels of government action in the recent past in Delhi, at least on paper.
