Delhi NCR enforces GRAP Stage 3 due to hazardous air quality, halting non-essential construction and restricting vehicle use to reduce pollution levels

The GRAP 3 curbs in Delhi include ban on demolition and construction activities, and entry of certain vehicles inside Delhi-NCR, among other curbs, to prevent further deterioration of air quality.

Northern India encountered the recurring annual pre-winter event of air emergency where the Air Quality Index (AQI) readings of main pollutant PM 2.5 breached the 400-mark of “very poor” and landed the air of Delhi, Punjab and other northern cities into the “hazardous” category.

The top five polluted areas in Delhi this morning are Jahangirpuri, Bawana, Wazirpur, Rohini, and Punjabi Bagh.

Air pollution in the Indian capital is more than 50 times what is considered safe by the World Health Organization.

GRAP stage 3 will come into force at 8am on Friday. The Delhi government announced that classes for primary schools will be shifted to online.

Authorities are considering switching to online classes for children up to Class V to reduce exposure to harmful air quality.

Delhi residents woke up to ‘severe’ air quality on Thursday morning (November 14), a day after the national capital recorded the worst AQI in the country, with dense fog blanketing the NCR, reducing visibility.